*2.4.3.2 Hot plate test*

This is a test of thermal nociception, model of short duration stimuli [20]. Each mouse was exposed to a hot surface within a confined glass cage (whose temperature was maintained at 55 ± 0.5°C) for maximum duration of 30 s [21]. The time it took for each mouse to start licking its foot pad was recorded. Higher frequency and duration of paw lick indicate higher pain perception. The time taken for it to jump (latency of jump) was also recorded. The longer the latency of jump, the less pain it felt. These behaviours are the most common measures of pain threshold and are considered supra-spinally integrated [20].
