A real-time rodent tracking system for both light and dark cycle behavior analysis

Abstrac

Rodent arena tracker (RAT): A machine vision rodent tracking camera and closed loop control system

Video tracking is an essential tool in rodent research. Here, we demonstrate a machine vision rodent tracking camera based on a low-cost, open-source, machine vision camera, the OpenMV Cam M7. We call our device the rodent arena tracker (RAT), and it is a pocket-sized machine vision-based position tracker. The RAT does not require a tethered computer to operate and costs about $120 per device to build. These features make the RAT scalable to large installations and accessible to research institutions and educational settings where budgets may be limited. The RAT processes incoming video in real-time at 15 Hz and save

Environmental Enrichment in the ISS Rodent Habitat Hardware System

Responses of animals exposed to microgravity during in-space experiments were reviewed from NASAs and ESA available video recording archives. These documented observation of animal behavior, as well as the range and level of activities during spaceflight, clearly demonstrate that weightlessness conditions and the extreme novelty of the surroundings exert damaging psychological stresses on the inhabitants. In response to a recognized need for in-flight animals to improve their wellbeing we propose to reduce such stresses by shaping and interrelating structures and surroundings to satisfying vital physiological needs of inhabitants. Rodent Habitat Hardware System based housing facility incorporating a tubing network system, to maintain and monitor rodent health environment with advanced accessories has been proposed. The new tubing configuration was found suitable for further incorporation of innovative monitoring technology and accessories in the animal holding habitat unit which allow to monitor in real-time the most valuable health related biological parameter under weightlessness environment of spaceflight

Interactions between BNST PACAP stress system and Estrous Cycling in Non-overiectomized Female Rats

The objective of this investigation is to examine possible interactions between the BNST PACAP stress system and hormone levels during the estrous cycle of naturally cycling female rats. This is significant as behavioral consequences, analogous to anxiety disorders in humans, including increased startle, anxious behavior during open arm tests, and decreased feeding are associated with increased transcripts of PACAP and PAC1 within the BNST of animals undergoing a chronic variant stress paradigm (reviewed by Hammack & May, 2014). As females are at a greater risk to suffer from symptoms of PTSD than men (Veteran Affairs, 2017), studying females is of great importance to stress researchers. To study the interaction between estrous cycle and the BNST PACAP system, this research examines PACAP mRNA transcript levels as well as its associated PAC1 receptor mRNA transcript levels in non-overectomized female rats. PACAP and PAC1 transcript levels were determined at each of the four stages of the estrous cycle using qPCR technique. In rat models, estradiol treatment increased BNST PACAP transcription in females suggesting that PACAP and estradiol may have an interaction that explains the sexual dimorphism seen in human PTSD pathologies(Lezak et al., 2014; Ressler et al., 2011). Further investigation into natural hormone cycling in females may lead to clearer answers regarding the regulation of PACAP in the presence of estrogen hormones and why this previously mentioned sexual dimorphism occurs in stress-related disorders like PTSD

Measuring Behavior in the Home Cage : Study Design, Applications, Challenges, and Perspectives

FUNDING This research was supported by NIH grants R00AG056662, P20GM125528, AG057424 to WS and SLPeer reviewedPublisher PD

High-Precision, Three-Dimensional Tracking of Mouse Whisker Movements with Optical Motion Capture Technology

The mystacial vibrissae or whiskers in rodents are sensitive tactile hairs emerging from both sides of the face. Rats and mice actively move these whiskers during exploration. The neuronal mechanisms controlling whisker movements and the sensory representation of whisker tactile information are widely studied as a model for sensorimotor processing in mammals. Studies of the natural whisker movement patterns during exploration and tactile examination are still in their early stages. Tracking the movements of whiskers is technically challenging as they move relatively fast and are very thin, particularly in mice. Existing systems detect light-beam interruptions by the whiskers or use high-speed video to track whisker movements in one or two-dimensions. Here we describe a method for tracking the movements of mouse whiskers in three-dimensions (3D) using optical motion capture technology (OMCT). OMCT tracks the movements of small retro-reflective markers attached to whiskers of a head-fixed mouse with a spatial resolution of <0.5 mm in all 3D and a temporal resolution of 5 ms (200 fps). The system stores the 3D coordinates of the marker's trajectories onto hard disk allowing a detailed analysis of movement trajectories bilateral coordination. The described method currently uses the minimum of two tracking cameras, which requires head-fixation for reliable tracking