Steffen van Heijningen
As a trained behavioral neuroscientist, I share my expertise with Noldus and in this way contribute to the scientific community. I write blogs, white papers and give talks during webinars. I live on the beautiful island of Curaçao, my home town, where I enjoy my free time on the water with my familiy and friends.
3 high impact papers about measuring anxiety in the Elevated Zero Maze
The elevated zero maze (EZM) is a variation on the elevated plus maze (EPM) and was created to eliminate the center region of the EPM. This blog highlights 3 studies that use the EZM to test for anxiety-like behavior
What is the Barnes maze? A dry-land environment for testing learning and memory
The Barnes maze is a behavioral paradigm for testing learning and memory in rodents models for autism spectrum disorder, Alzheimer’s disease and ageing. How does it compare to the Morris water maze?
Citizen science in research: studying contaminated drinking water with zebrafish
Local residents, students and scientists joined forces to investigate harmful contaminants in drinking water wells in New England. Behavioral effects of these contaminants were studied in zebrafish.
Advancing the novel object test: 3D printing and deep learning
To improve standardisation and consistency in the novel object test, Spry et al designed the 'CapTouch' system: capacative objects that can automatically register interaction. But what about deep learning in EthoVision XT?
Using the Observer XT to measure aggressive behavior in Dolphins
The Observer XT is often used in the field to score complex ethograms. This blog touches upon a study of the 'Wild Dolphin Project' that investigates aggresive behavior between two species of dolphins.
The open field test: A staple in behavioral batteries
The open field test is a locomotor, exploratory and/or anxiety test. Can we measure all these behaviors in a simple enclosed arena? This is exactly what we talk about in this blog, and the discussion surrounding this.
Scientific collaboration at its best: Home cage monitoring reviewed
The latest insights and views on home cage monitoring was reviewed by Grieco et al. A collaborative paper with an expert team on home cage behavior was published last week. This blog touches upon their findings!
A critical view on the Forced swim test
The forced swim test (FST), a staple in depression research, has been under discussion for a while. What is the FST? How is it used? And why is it under discussion? Here we share our view on this topic
What is DanioVision? A brief insight in zebrafish tracking
In this blog we provide a quick refresh on the topic of zebrafish, and how DanioVision contributes to this field.
Altruism in rats, suspiciously human
A recent study by Bartal et al drove our curiousity to write this blog about altruistic behavior in rats. This study shows how this type of behavior is neurally linkend to the social functioning of humans.