GoFish: A low-cost, open-source platform for closed-loop behavioural experiments on fish.

Area of Science:

• Ethology
• Comparative Cognition
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Fish exhibit remarkable diversity, making them crucial for studying behavior and evolution.
• Fish are underrepresented in psychological and cognitive research compared to other vertebrates.
• Automated, accessible experimental platforms are needed to advance fish behavioral studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce GoFish, a fully automated platform for aquatic species' behavioral experiments.
• Provide an open-source, cost-effective solution to facilitate complex behavioral research in fish.
• Demonstrate the platform's utility through experiments on goldfish learning and choice.

Main Methods:

• GoFish integrates real-time video tracking, stimulus presentation, automated feeding, and closed-loop control.
• The platform utilizes the Bonsai control software for flexible workflow development.
• Hardware is open-source and inexpensive, with design and software freely available.

Main Results:

• GoFish enables high-throughput automation of behavioral protocols.
• The platform facilitates the acquisition of rich, detailed behavioral data.
• Experiments demonstrated successful application in goldfish discrimination learning and reversal tasks.

Conclusions:

• GoFish significantly enhances the automation and scalability of behavioral experiments in aquatic species.
• The platform's open-source nature and ease of use can reduce bias and foster wider adoption in research.
• GoFish has the potential to become a standard tool for complex behavioral research in diverse fish species.