The use of radiotelemetry in small laboratory animals: recent advances.

Radiotelemetry provides an alternative means of obtaining physiological measurements from awake and freely moving laboratory animals, without introducing stress artifacts. For researchers, especially those in the fields of pharmacology and toxicology, the technique may provide a valuable tool for predicting the effectiveness and safety of new compounds in humans. In light of studies described in the literature, it is concluded that there is ample evidence that the use of radiotelemetry for measuring blood pressure, cardiac activity, heart rate, body temperature, and locomotor activity in rodents has been validated sufficiently. Today, this technology is an important tool for the stress-free collection of these physiologic data in small rodents, including mice.