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Mouse Short- and Long-term Locomotor Activity Analyzed by Video Tracking Software
Published on: June 20, 2013
Analysis of vigilant scanning behavior in mice using two-point digital video tracking
Kwok Ho C Choy1, Jing Yu, David Hawkes
1Department of Pharmacology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, 3010, Australia.
Psychopharmacology
|December 24, 2011
Summary
Automated tracking quantifies vigilant scanning in mice, revealing it as a key risk assessment behavior. This method shows scanning is resistant to fear conditioning and sensitive to anxiolytic drugs.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Animal Behavior
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Vigilant scanning is crucial for risk assessment in many species.
- Manual scoring of scanning behavior in rodents is challenging, limiting laboratory studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- Develop a novel automated method for measuring vigilant scanning in mice.
- Assess the sensitivity of scanning parameters to anxiolytic (diazepam) and anxiogenic (FG-7142) agents.
- Evaluate scanning behavior before and after fear conditioning.
Main Methods:
- Simultaneous tracking of an animal's nose- and center-points to quantify scanning.
- Measurement of scanning frequency, duration, and speed.
- Pharmacological manipulation with diazepam and FG-7142 in a fear conditioning paradigm.
Main Results:
- Scanning behavior was consistently observed across different mouse strains (C57BL/6, 129xC57BL/6, DBA/2).
- Diazepam decreased scanning frequency and duration dose-dependently.
- Fear conditioning and FG-7142 induced behavioral inhibition, with scanning being least affected and comprising a significant portion of remaining activity.
Conclusions:
- Two-point tracking is an effective method for studying vigilant scanning in mice.
- Scanning is a fundamental risk assessment behavior, resilient to threat-induced inhibition.
- Scanning behavior is highly sensitive to anxiolytic treatment, offering a valuable behavioral marker.
