Method for performing behavioral experiments with rodents
AssigneePetri Ala-Laurila
InventorsPetri Ala-laurila, Tuomas Turunen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to behavioral experiments with rodents, and especially to monitoring, data collection and control of such experiments. This invention provides a method for automatically observing the behavior of rodents in a way that provides accurate determination of location and direction of the head of the rodent, even in darkness under infrared light, by determining the location and the direction of the rodent's head on the basis of the triangle formed by the ears and the snout of the rodent.
Claims20
A method for performing experiments with rodents, in which experiments a rodent is placed in a maze by a researcher and behavior of the rodent is observed in darkness using infrared light and using a video camera producing a video signal, wherein the method comprising:
- determining, by a computing device, a starting time by determining from video images obtained from the camera, when a predetermined start condition is fulfilled the predetermined start condition comprising detection of release of a rodent in the maze, detection of lifting of an enclosure, or detection of the rodent in the enclosure in the maze,
- determining, by a computing device, from a plurality of the video images, where the rodent is and in which direction the head of the rodent is directed in each of said plurality of the video images by determining a location and direction of a triangle defined by the two ears and the snout of the rodent without markers, and
- determining, by a computing device, an ending time by determining from the video images one or more of the following:
- when the rodent has reached an end condition, or when the rodent is taken away from the maze, the end condition comprising at least one of a predetermined locations of the maze.
A system for performing experiments with rodents in a maze, in darkness under infrared light, the system having a video camera for monitoring rodents in the maze, comprising:
- a controller connected to the video camera and arranged to receive video images from the video camera and to store received video images,
- said controller being arranged to determine a starting time by determining from video images obtained from the camera when a predetermined start condition is fulfilled, the predetermined start condition comprising detection of release of a rodent in the maze, detection of lifting of an enclosure, or detection of the rodent in the enclosure in the maze,
- said controller being arranged to determine from a plurality of the video images where the rodent is and in which direction the head of the rodent is directed in each of said plurality of the video images by determining the location and direction of a triangle defined by the two ears and the snout of the rodent without markers, and
- said controller being arranged to determine an ending time by determining from the video images one or more of the following:
- when the rodent has reached an end condition, or when the rodent is taken away from the maze, the end condition comprising at least one of a predetermined locations of the maze.
A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing a program which when executed by at least one processing unit of a computing system provides the functionality of a control unit of a system for performing experiments with rodents in a maze in darkness and under infrared light, wherein the program comprises sets of instructions for:
- receiving and storing video images from a video camera connected to the processing unit,
- determining a starting time by determining from video images received from the camera when a predetermined start condition is fulfilled, the predetermined start condition comprising detection of release of a rodent in the maze, detection of lifting of an enclosure, or detection of the rodent in the enclosure in the maze,
- determining from a plurality of the video images where the rodent is and in which direction the head of the rodent is directed in each of said plurality of the video images by determining the location and direction of a triangle defined by the two ears and the snout of the rodent without markers, and
- determining an ending time by determining from the video images one or more of the following:
- when the rodent has reached an end condition, or when the rodent is taken away from the maze, the end condition comprising at least one of a predetermined locations of the maze.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.