Building a Coherent Time Series with Behavioral Data from Staggered Chambers

Sampling of population with the design of staggered chambers is quite convenient, since it allows data collection from distinct time points at the same clock hour. In this short communication using an ethological approach we report results obtained with behavioral data collected from eight staggered chambers. The eight LD cycles (12:12; L = 350 lux; D = 1 lux, red light) were set with a lag of 3 h, thus completing 24 h. Male Wistar rats 6-month old were individually observed for five minutes in random order within each session along ten consecutive days. Behavioral circadian rhythms of general activity were detected both in the 10-day long time series and in each one of the days, with a statistical significance of 95%. Our results show close similarities with results of individual days, thus pointing to the convenience of such a design.