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Implementation of ezTrack open-source pipeline for quantifying rat locomotor behavior: Comparison to commercially
Dan L McElroy1, Andrew J Roebuck1, Timothy J Onofrychuk1
1Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
Neuroscience Letters
|February 19, 2020
Summary
A new free software, ezTrack, accurately analyzes animal behavior in tests like the elevated plus maze (EPM) and open field test (OFT). This cost-effective tool offers an accessible alternative to expensive commercial tracking systems.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
- Animal Behavior Analysis
Background:
- Manual scoring of animal behavior is time-consuming and prone to error.
- Commercial animal tracking software can be expensive and technically demanding.
- There is a need for accessible, cost-effective tools for behavioral analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the performance of a free, open-source behavioral tracking pipeline called ezTrack.
- To compare ezTrack with commercially available software for locomotor activity analysis.
- To assess the utility of ezTrack in standard behavioral assays like the elevated plus maze (EPM) and open field test (OFT).
Main Methods:
- ezTrack was used to analyze rat locomotor behavior and time spent in regions of interest.
- Data from ezTrack was compared to results obtained from commercial tracking software.
- The study utilized the elevated plus maze (EPM) and open field test (OFT) paradigms.
Main Results:
- ezTrack demonstrated high concordance with commercial software in quantifying locomotor activity.
- Results for time spent in regions of interest were nearly identical between ezTrack and commercial software.
- The free software effectively captured behavioral data in both EPM and OFT assays.
Conclusions:
- ezTrack provides a cost-effective and accurate solution for behavioral tracking.
- This open-source software is a viable alternative to expensive commercial options.
- ezTrack facilitates accessible quantification of animal behavior in common research tasks.
