Thermal Sensitivity Evaluation in Mice

Thermal sensitivity was measured using the Hargreaves test (Hargreaves et al., 1988 ) as described before (Yu et al., 2021b (link)). Mice were placed in Plexiglas boxes on an elevated glass surface and habituated to the behavioral apparatus for at least 60 minutes. The beam intensity was set on the IITC Plantar Analgesia Meter (IITC Life Science, Woodland Hills, CA). The mid-plantar surface of each hind paw was then exposed to a series of heat trials with 10-minute inter-trial intervals. Four trials were conducted with radiant heat exposures sequentially alternating between left and right paws. Paw withdrawal latency was recorded. A cutoff time of 25 s was set to prevent excessive tissue damage.