Objective Thigmotaxis is an innate predator avoidance behaviour of rodents and is enhanced when animals are under stress. It is characterised by the preference of a rodent to seek shelter, rather than expose itself to the aversive open area. The behaviour has been proposed to be a measurable construct that can address the impact of pain on rodent behaviour. This systematic review will assess whether thigmotaxis can be influenced by experimental persistent pain and attenuated by pharmacological interventions in rodents. Search strategy We will conduct search on three electronic databases to identify studies in which thigmotaxis was used as an outcome measure contextualised to a rodent model associated with persistent pain. All studies published until the date of the search will be considered. Screening and annotation Two independent reviewers will screen studies based on the order of (1) titles and abstracts, and (2) full texts. Data management and reporting For meta-analysis, we will extract thigmotactic behavioural data and calculate effect sizes. Effect sizes will be combined using a random-effects model. We will assess heterogeneity and identify sources of heterogeneity. A risk-of-bias assessment will be conducted to evaluate study quality. Publication bias will be assessed using funnel plots, Egger’s regression and trim-and-fill analysis. We will also extract stimulus-evoked limb withdrawal data to assess its correlation with thigmotaxis in the same animals. The evidence obtained will provide a comprehensive understanding of the strengths and limitations of using thigmotactic outcome measure in animal pain research so that future experimental designs can be optimised. We will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses reporting guidelines and disseminate the review findings through publication and conference presentation.

中文翻译：

---

在与持续性疼痛相关的啮齿动物模型中进行开放现场测试中趋触行为的系统评价和荟萃分析的协议

目的趋化性是啮齿动物的一种天生的捕食者回避行为，当动物处于压力下时会增强。它的特点是啮齿动物更喜欢寻找庇护所，而不是将自己暴露在令人厌恶的开放区域。该行为已被提议作为一种可测量的结构，可以解决疼痛对啮齿动物行为的影响。该系统评价将评估触动性是否会受到实验性持续疼痛的影响，并通过啮齿动物的药物干预而减弱。搜索策略 我们将在三个电子数据库中进行搜索，以确定触动性被用作与持续性疼痛相关的啮齿动物模型相关的结果测量的研究。将考虑在检索日期之前发表的所有研究。筛选和注释 两名独立评审员将根据 (1) 标题和摘要，以及 (2) 全文的顺序筛选研究。数据管理和报告 对于荟萃分析，我们将提取趋向行为数据并计算效应大小。效应大小将使用随机效应模型进行组合。我们将评估异质性并确定异质性的来源。将进行偏倚风险评估以评估研究质量。发表偏倚将使用漏斗图、Egger 回归和修剪和填充分析进行评估。我们还将提取刺激诱发的肢体退缩数据，以评估其与同一动物的触动性的相关性。获得的证据将全面了解在动物疼痛研究中使用触动结果测量的优势和局限性，以便优化未来的实验设计。我们将遵循系统评价和荟萃分析报告指南的首选报告项目，并通过出版物和会议报告传播审查结果。