Using EthoVision XT for studying object recognition in mice.

Jacob Raber and Theodor Benice (Portland, USA)The latest addition to the EthoVision product range is EthoVision XT, which is capable of tracking the nose point and tail base point of rats and mice. This feature makes EthoVision XT especially suitable for the object recognition and location recognition test. As beta testers for EthoVision XT, Jacob Raber and Theodor Benice used the program to analyze novel object and novel location recognition data. They compared the results with manually scored data by trained observers. The positive outcomes illustrate the use of EthoVision XT for automating both recognition tests.

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Evaluation of Porsolt Swim Test activity using the Mobility parameter of EthoVision.

Saskia Berndsen and Laus Broersen (Utrecht, The Netherlands)
Noldus recently developed a new feature in EthoVision 3.0: mobility detection. This parameter can be used to score the behavior of animals in the Porsolt Swim Test (PST) automatically.
In ongoing research at Utrecht University, Saskia C. Berndsen and Laus M. Broersen tested this module and compared the results to data obtained by traditional hand scoring of the subjects from videotapes. In the experiment, the effects of chronic administration of either the tricyclic antidepressant Desipramine or its vehicle, Saline, on activity in the PST were evaluated.

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Behavioral analysis of transgenic mice overexpressing corticotropin-releasing hormone

A. Dirks, L. Groenink, M. Verdouw, J. van der Gugten and B. Olivier (Utrecht, The Netherlands)
Exploration of the behavioral consequences of chronic CRH overproduction in mice of two established transgenic lines (CRH-OE2122 and CRH-OE2123) in behavioral paradigms reflecting different aspects of stress, anxiety and depression.
In this study, The Observer and EthoVision allowed easy recording and analysis of specific behaviors, resulting in an extensive description of the behavioral profile of the mutant mice overexpressing CRH.  

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Effects of neonatal DEX treatment on social behavior of the rat in later life

Dexamethasone (DEX) is widely used to prevent chronic lung disease in premature born infants. To investigate possible long-term adverse effects of neonatal DEX treatment, the consequences of a DEX treatment protocol in rat neonates on the social behavior of rats was studied. The Observer was used to measure social (play) behavior in juvenile rats, whereas EthoVision was used to assess social activity in adult rats.  Neonatal DEX treatment resulted in enhanced social play behavior in juvenile rats. In contrast, social activity was not altered in adult DEX rats during the social interaction test.

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[file] pu_neuro_kamphuis.pdf98.15 KB
Play deprivation decreases adult social behavior.

Caroline van den Berg, Jan van Ree and Berry Spruijt (Utrecht, The Netherlands).The occurrence of social play has since long been recognized as relevant for the development of adult social behavior. This report describes the study of the consequences of one or two weeks of social isolation during the play period, followed by different rehousing procedures, on adult social activity. Different rehousing procedures were conducted to investigate whether the previous social experience (isolated or non-isolated) of the cage mate could influence the isolation-induced social behavioral effects. EthoVision was used for measuring social interactions.  

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[file] pu_neuro_vdberg.pdf83.55 KB
Still waters run deep: EthoVision and the Morris water maze.

Henk Everts and Jaap Koolhaas (Groningen, The Netherlands).  
The capacity to cope with environmental challenges is a fundamental characteristic of almost all living species. Research has shown that there are basically two styles of coping with these challenges. One of the neurobiological characteristics of different coping styles may be the amount of the neuropeptide vasopressin, a peptide also involved in learning. In this article, you can read about the application of EthoVision and the Morris water maze to study the correlation between levels of vasopressin and learning behavior.

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Using EthoVision to study social interactions in rodents.

Berry Spruijt, Thorwald Hol and Jacob Rousseau (Utrecht, The Netherlands).  
Rats have a complex repertoire of social behaviors. As social behavior is an accessible 'read-out system', it is often used for studying brain-behavior relationships. Although there have been studies on the consequences of social isolation on behavior and physiology in rats, the mechanisms underlying this apparent drive to keep social contact have not been elucidated. This article focuses on the behavioral and physiological characteristics of this phenomenon. Quantative measures were obtained with EthoVision.

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Human spatial orientation and way-finding analysis with EthoVision in a real arena maze

Tamás Makány and János Kállai (Pécs, Hungary).Spatial orientation and way-finding performance of animals have already been objectively and extensively investigated with water maze tasks. More recently, virtual adaptations of water maze tasks have been used to investigate human spatial cognition and navigation. Despite the innovative technology of virtual reality, the actual maze experiment cannot always be replaced and we needed to create a human adaptation of the original Morris maze in our laboratory. Spatial orientation and way-finding performance such as platform finding time, route length, speed and orientation strategies based on the time spent in certain zones were obtained automatically from the locomotion of the subjects while completing a complex spatial orientation task.

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