Name: behavioral tracking and neuromast imaging of mexican cavefish
Uploaded: 2019-04-06T14:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Behavioral Tracking and Neuromast Imaging of Mexican Cavefish at JoVE.com

We thank all the members of the Yoshizawa lab including N. Cetraro, N. Simon, C. Valdez, C. Macapac, J. Choi, L. Lu, J. Nguyen, S. Podhorzer, H. Hernandes, J. Fong, J. Kato, and I. Lord for fish care on the experimental fish used in this manuscript. We also thank A. Keene lab members including P. Masek to train MY to assemble IR CCD camera. Lastly, we would like to thank the Media Lab - College of Social Sciences - School of Communications at the University of Hawai&#39;i M&#257;noa for their invaluable help with making the video, especially B. Smith, J. Lam, and S. White. This work was supported by Hawaiian Community Foundation (16CON-78919 and 18CON-90818) and National Institute of Health NIGMS (P20GM125508) grants to MY.

All procedures are performed following the guidelines described in &#34;Principles of Laboratory Animal Care&#34; (National Institute of Health publication no. 85-23, revised 1985) and the approved by University of Hawai&#39;i at Manoa Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee animal protocol 17-2560-3.
1. Vibration attraction behavior (VAB) assay ( &#8804; 10 min for entire recording procedure)
NOTE: Use an infrared sensitive camera or build an infrared camera by m...

<ol>
	<li>Keene, A. C., Yoshizawa, M., McGaugh, S. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Biology and Evolution of the Mexican Cavefish. Biology and Evolution of the Mexican Cavefish. , (2015).</li><li>Mitchell, R. W., Russell, W. H., Elliott, W. R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Mexican eyeless characin fishes, genus Astyanax: Environment, distribution, and evolution.Special publications the museum Texas Tech University. (12), (1977).</li><li>Wilkens, H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Evolution+and+genetics+of+epigean+and+cave+Astyanax-fasciatus+(Characidae,+Pisces)+-+Support+for+the+neutral+mutation+theory.">Evolution and genetics of epigean and cave Astyanax-fasciatus (Characidae, Pisces) - Support for the neutral mutation theory.</a> Evolutionary Biology. 23, 271-367 (1988).</li><li>Fumey, J., Hinaux, H., Noirot, C., Thermes, C., R&#233;taux, S., Casane, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Evidence+for+late+Pleistocene+origin+of+Astyanax+mexicanus+cavefish.">Evidence for late Pleistocene origin of Astyanax mexicanus cavefish.</a> BMC Evolutionary Biology. 18 (1), 1-19 (2018).</li><li>Yoshizawa, M., Gori&#269;ki, S., Soares, D., Jeffery, W. R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Evolution+of+a+behavioral+shift+mediated+by+superficial+neuromasts+helps+cavefish+find+food+in+darkness.">Evolution of a behavioral shift mediated by superficial neuromasts helps cavefish find food in darkness.</a> Current Biology. 20 (18), 1631-1636 (2010).</li><li>Moran, D., Softley, R., Warrant, E. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Eyeless+Mexican+cavefish+save+energy+by+eliminating+the+circadian+rhythm+in+metabolism.">Eyeless Mexican cavefish save energy by eliminating the circadian rhythm in metabolism.</a> PloS One. 9 (9), e107877 (2014).</li><li>Moran, D., Softley, R., Warrant, E. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+energetic+cost+of+vision+and+the+evolution+of+eyeless+Mexican+cavefish.">The energetic cost of vision and the evolution of eyeless Mexican cavefish.</a> Science Advances. 1 (8), e1500363 (2015).</li><li>Yoshizawa, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+Evolution+of+a+Series+of+Behavioral+Traits+is+associated+with+Autism-Risk+Genes+in+Cavefish.">The Evolution of a Series of Behavioral Traits is associated with Autism-Risk Genes in Cavefish.</a> BMC Evolutionary Biology. 18 (1), 89 (2018).</li><li>Riddle, M. R., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Insulin+resistance+in+cavefish+as+an+adaptation+to+a+nutrient-limited+environment.">Insulin resistance in cavefish as an adaptation to a nutrient-limited environment.</a> Nature. 555 (7698), 647-651 (2018).</li><li>Protas, M. E., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Genetic+analysis+of+cavefish+reveals+molecular+convergence+in+the+evolution+of+albinism.">Genetic analysis of cavefish reveals molecular convergence in the evolution of albinism.</a> Nature Genetics. 38 (1), 107-111 (2006).</li><li>Yoshizawa, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Distinct+genetic+architecture+underlies+the+emergence+of+sleep+loss+and+prey-seeking+behavior+in+the+Mexican+cavefish.">Distinct genetic architecture underlies the emergence of sleep loss and prey-seeking behavior in the Mexican cavefish.</a> BMC Biology. 13 (1), 15 (2015).</li><li>Dubou&#233;, E. R., Keene, A. C., Borowsky, R. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Evolutionary+convergence+on+sleep+loss+in+cavefish+populations.">Evolutionary convergence on sleep loss in cavefish populations.</a> Current Biology. 21 (8), 671-676 (2011).</li><li>Fernandes, V. F. L., Macaspac, C., Lu, L., Yoshizawa, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Evolution+of+the+developmental+plasticity+and+a+coupling+between+left+mechanosensory+neuromasts+and+an+adaptive+foraging+behavior.">Evolution of the developmental plasticity and a coupling between left mechanosensory neuromasts and an adaptive foraging behavior.</a> Developmental Biology. 441 (2), 262-271 (2018).</li><li>P&#233;rez-Escudero, A., Vicente-Page, J., Hinz, R. C., Arganda, S., de Polavieja, G. G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=idTracker:+tracking+individuals+in+a+group+by+automatic+identification+of+unmarked+animals.">idTracker: tracking individuals in a group by automatic identification of unmarked animals.</a> Nature Methods. 11, 743 (2014).</li><li>Branson, K., Robie, A. A., Bender, J., Perona, P., Dickinson, M. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=High-throughput+ethomics+in+large+groups+of+Drosophila.">High-throughput ethomics in large groups of Drosophila.</a> Nature Methods. 6 (6), 451-457 (2009).</li><li>Yoshizawa, M., Jeffery, W. R., Van Netten, S. M., McHenry, M. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+sensitivity+of+lateral+line+receptors+and+their+role+in+the+behavior+of+Mexican+blind+cavefish+(Astyanax+mexicanus).">The sensitivity of lateral line receptors and their role in the behavior of Mexican blind cavefish (Astyanax mexicanus).</a> Journal of Experimental Biology. 217 (6), (2014).</li><li>Lee, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Virtualdub. , (2014).</li><li>Schneider, C. A., Rasband, W. S., Eliceiri, K. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=NIH+Image+to+ImageJ:+25+years+of+image+analysis.">NIH Image to ImageJ: 25 years of image analysis.</a> Nature Methods. 9 (7), 671-675 (2012).</li><li>Cavallari, N., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+blind+circadian+clock+in+cavefish+reveals+that+opsins+mediate+peripheral+clock+photoreception.">A blind circadian clock in cavefish reveals that opsins mediate peripheral clock photoreception.</a> PLoS Biology. 9 (9), e1001142 (2011).</li><li>Swimmer, B., Lang, H. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Surface Wave Discrimination between Prey and Nonprey by the Back Swimmer Notonecta glauca L. (Hemiptera , Heteroptera ). 6 (3), 233-246 (1980).</li><li>Montgomery, J. C., Macdonald, J. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Sensory Tuning of Lateral Line Receptors in Antarctic Fish to the Movements of Planktonic Prey. 235 (4785), 195-196 (1987).</li><li>Prober, D. A., Rihel, J., Onah, A. A., Sung, R. J., Schier, A. F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Hypocretin/orexin+overexpression+induces+an+insomnia-like+phenotype+in+zebrafish.">Hypocretin/orexin overexpression induces an insomnia-like phenotype in zebrafish.</a> The Journal of Neuroscience. 26 (51), 13400-13410 (2006).</li><li>Zhdanova, I. V., Wang, S. Y., Leclair, O. U., Danilova, N. P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Melatonin+promotes+sleep-like+state+in+zebrafish.">Melatonin promotes sleep-like state in zebrafish.</a> Brain Research. 903 (1-2), 263-268 (2001).</li><li>Nussbaum-Krammer, C. I., Neto, M. F., Brielmann, R. M., Pedersen, J. S., Morimoto, R. I. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Investigating+the+Spreading+and+Toxicity+of+Prion-like+Proteins+Using+the+Metazoan+Model+Organism+C.+elegans.">Investigating the Spreading and Toxicity of Prion-like Proteins Using the Metazoan Model Organism C. elegans.</a> Journal of Visualized Experiments. (95), e52321 (2015).</li><li>Rasband, W. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Object Tracker. , (2000).</li><li>Ferreira, T., Rasband, W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Create+Shortcuts.">Create Shortcuts.</a> ImageJ User Guide. , (2012).</li><li>Lochmatter, T., Roduit, P., Cianci, C., Correll, N., Jacot, J., Martinoli, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> SwisTrack. , (2008).</li></ol>

These presented methods are easy-to-access but can be complicated to perform due to the nature of its freeware origins. Therefore, it is highly recommended to perform trial assays and analyses before any actual experimentation.
The rate of data generation can be rapid once the experimental and analytical framework are established. Once established, it is possible to record two fish in 7 min for the VAB assay, 30 fish in 24 h for the activity/sleep assay, and one fish in 2.5 to 3 min for neurom...

The Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus (Teleostei: Characidae), is unique among fishes for having two radically distinct alternative morphs - a sighted, surface-dwelling morph and a blind, cave-dwelling morph comprised of several distinct populations1. Although different in morphology and physiology, they are still interfertile2,3. These interfertile morphs appear to have evolved rapidly (~20,000 years)4, which makes them an ideal model system for the study of rapid adaptation. Cavefish are known to have a suite of divergent morphological and behavioral traits including increased density of taste buds, increased number of mechanosensors, foraging behavior tuned to a particular frequency of a vibrating stimulus, hyperactivity, and sleeplessness. Many of these behaviors likely evolved simultaneously, some of which have been suggested to be advantageous in the darkness of caves for foraging5 and conserving energy in dark and food-sparse environments6,7.
In many evolutionary model systems, it is difficult to acquire integrated knowledge on how animal morphology and behavior change in response to the environment because most species are distributed across a continuous gradient in complex environments. However, the stark contrast between the cave and surface morph Astyanax that evolved in highly contrasting environments delineated by a sharp ecotone has led to Astyanax emerging as an excellent model to understand animal evolution. This makes it possible to more easily link genes and developmental processes with adaptive traits and selection in the environment. Furthermore, recent biomedical investigations of these traits in Astyanax has shown that these traits may parallel human symptoms8,9,10. For example, loss of sociality and sleep, and gain of hyperactivity, repetitive behavior, and cortisol level are similar to what is observed in humans with autism spectrum disorder8.
To address the complex co-evolution of many behaviors and morphological traits, it is advantageous to assay many of them to highlight underlying genetic and molecular pathways. Presented herein are methods for characterizing the degree of cave-type behavioral phenotypes of surface, cave, and hybrid morphs of Astyanax. The focal behaviors analyzed to characterize phenotype are cave-adapted foraging behavior (vibration attraction behavior, referred to henceforth as VAB), and hyperactivity/sleep duration11,12. Also presented is an imaging method for the sensory system associated with VAB13. Recently, many open-source tracking software for running behavioral assays have become available14,15. These work very well for short videos, less than 10 minutes long. However, it becomes problematic if the video is longer because of intense computation/tracking time. Capable commercially available software can be expensive. The methods presented mainly use freeware and therefore are considered cost-effective and high-throughput methods. Also included are representative results based on these methods.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:600px;" width="600">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="62">
			<td height="62" style="height:62px;width:221px;">4-Di-1-ASP (4-(4-(dimethylaminostyryl)-1-methylpyridinium iodide)</td>
			<td style="width:85px;">MilliporeSigma</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">D3418</td>
			<td style="width:171px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="62">
			<td height="62" style="height:62px;width:221px;">880 nm wave length black light</td>
			<td style="width:85px;">Advanced Illumination</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">BL41192-880</td>
			<td style="width:171px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:221px;">avfs</td>
			<td style="width:85px;">freeware</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">Version 1.0.0.6</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">http://turtlewar.org/avfs/</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:221px;">Avisynth</td>
			<td style="width:85px;">freeware</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">Version 2.6.0</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">http://avisynth.nl/index.php/Main_Page</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:221px;">Cygwin</td>
			<td style="width:85px;">freeware</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">Version 2.11.0</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">https://www.cygwin.com/</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:221px;">Cylindrical assay chamber (Pyrex 325 ml glass dish)</td>
			<td style="width:85px;">Corning</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">3140-100</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">10 cm diameter 5 cm high</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="187">
			<td height="187" style="height:187px;width:221px;">Ethovision XT</td>
			<td style="width:85px;">Noldus Information&#160; Technology, Wageningen, The Netherlands</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">Version 14</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">https://www.noldus.com/animal-behavior-research/products/ethovision-xt</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="83">
			<td height="83" style="height:83px;width:221px;">Fish Aquarium Cylinder Soft Sponge Stone Water Filter, Black</td>
			<td style="width:85px;">Jardin (through Amazon.com)</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">NA</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">Sponge filter for Sleep/hyperactivity recording system</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="62">
			<td height="62" style="height:62px;width:221px;">Grade A Brine shrimp eggs</td>
			<td style="width:85px;">Brine shrimp direct</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">BSEA16Z</td>
			<td style="width:171px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:221px;">ImageJ</td>
			<td style="width:85px;">freeware</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">Version 1.52e</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">https://imagej.nih.gov/ij/</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="83">
			<td height="83" style="height:83px;width:221px;">macro 1.8/12.5-75mm C-mount zoom lens</td>
			<td style="width:85px;">Toyo</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">NA</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">Attach to USB webcam by using c-mount, which is printed in 3-D printer</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:221px;">Neutral Regulator</td>
			<td style="width:85px;">Seachem</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">NA</td>
			<td style="width:171px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="62">
			<td height="62" style="height:62px;width:221px;">Optical cast plastic IR long-pass filter</td>
			<td style="width:85px;">Edmund optics</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">43-948</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">Cut into a small piece to fit in the CCD of USB webcam</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="83">
			<td height="83" style="height:83px;width:221px;">pfmap</td>
			<td style="width:85px;">freeware</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">Build 178</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">http://pismotec.com/download/ (at &#8220;Download Archive&#8221; link at the bottom)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:221px;">Reef Crystals Reef Salt</td>
			<td style="width:85px;">Instant Ocean</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">RC15-10</td>
			<td style="width:171px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:221px;">SwisTrack</td>
			<td style="width:85px;">freeware</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">Version 4</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/SwisTrack</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:221px;">USB webcam (LifeCam Studio 1080p HD Webcam)</td>
			<td style="width:85px;">Microsoft</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">Q2F-00013</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">Cut 2-2.5 cm of the front</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="83">
			<td height="83" style="height:83px;width:221px;">WinAutomation</td>
			<td style="width:85px;">freeware</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">Version 8</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">https://www.winautomation.com/ (free stand-alone app for this procedure)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:221px;">Windows operating system</td>
			<td style="width:85px;">Microsoft</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">7, 8 or 10</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:221px;">x264vfw</td>
			<td style="width:85px;">freeware</td>
			<td style="width:123px;">NA</td>
			<td style="width:171px;">https://sourceforge.net/projects/x264vfw/</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

behavioral tracking and neuromast imaging of mexican cavefish

Cave-dwelling animals have evolved a series of morphological and behavioral traits to adapt to their perpetually dark and food-sparse environments. Among these traits, foraging behavior is one of the useful windows into functional advantages of behavioral trait evolution. Presented herein are updated methods for analyzing vibration attraction behavior (VAB: an adaptive foraging behavior) and imaging of associated mechanosensors of cave-adapted tetra, Astyanax mexicanus. In addition, methods are presented for high-throughput tracking of a series of additional cavefish behaviors including hyperactivity and sleep-loss. Cavefish also show asociality, repetitive behavior and higher anxiety. Therefore, cavefish serve as an animal model for evolved behaviors. These methods use free-software and custom-made scripts that can be applied to other types of behavior. These methods provide practical and cost-effective alternatives to commercially available tracking software.

The results presented herein are representative examples of what can be acquired with the presented methods. Therefore, results can deviate slightly from the ones presented here for both cavefish and surface fish depending on the experimental conditions.
Vibration attraction behavior
Representative results for VAB can be found in F...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Behavioral Tracking and Neuromast Imaging of Mexican Cavefish at JoVE.com

Behavioral Tracking and Neuromast Imaging of Mexican Cavefish

Here, we present methods for high-throughput study of a series of the Mexican cavefish behaviors and vital staining of a mechanosensory system. These methods use free-software and custom-made scripts, providing a practical and cost-effective method for the studies of behaviors.

Cave-dwelling animals have evolved a series of morphological and behavioral traits to adapt to their perpetually dark and food-sparse environments. Among ...

Research

JoVE Journal

Behavior

Behavioral Phenotyping of Murine Disease Models with the Integrated Behavioral Station (INBEST)

Behavioral Phenotyping of Murine Disease Models with the Integrated Behavioral Station INBEST

Due to rapid advances in genetic engineering, small rodents have become the preferred subjects in many disciplines of biomedical research. In studies of ...

Behavioral Assessment of the Aging Mouse Vestibular System

Age related decline in balance performance is associated with deteriorating muscle strength, motor coordination and vestibular function. While a number of ...

Performing Behavioral Tasks in Subjects with Intracranial Electrodes

Patients having stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) electrode, subdural grid or depth electrode implants have a multitude of electrodes implanted in ...

The Rodent Psychomotor Vigilance Test (rPVT): A Method for Assessing Neurobehavioral Performance in Rats and Mice

The Rodent Psychomotor Vigilance Test rPVT: A Method for Assessing Neurobehavioral Performance in Rats and Mice

The human Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT) is a widely used procedure for measuring changes in fatigue and sustained attention. The present article ...

Basic Methods for the Study of Reproductive Ecology of Fish in Aquaria

Captive-rearing observations are valuable for revealing aspects of fish behavior and ecology when continuous field investigations are impossible. Here, a ...

A Wireless, Bidirectional Interface for In Vivo Recording and Stimulation of Neural Activity in Freely Behaving Rats

A Wireless, Bidirectional Interface for In Vivo Recording and Stimulation of Neural Activity in Freely Behaving Rats

In vivo electrophysiology is a powerful technique to investigate the relationship between brain activity and behavior at a millisecond and micrometer ...

An Automated T-maze Based Apparatus and Protocol for Analyzing Delay- and Effort-based Decision Making in  Free Moving Rodents

Many neurological and psychiatric patients demonstrate difficulties and/or deficits in decision making. Rodent models are helpful to produce a deeper ...

Continuous Noninvasive Measuring of Crayfish Cardiac and Behavioral Activities

A crayfish is a pivotal aquatic organism that serves both as a practical biological model for behavioral and physiological studies of invertebrates and as ...

Behavioral Approaches to Studying Innate Stress in Zebrafish

Responding appropriately to stressful stimuli is essential for survival of an organism. Extensive research has been done on a wide spectrum of ...

Automated Measurements of Sleep and Locomotor Activity in Mexican Cavefish

Across phyla, sleep is characterized by highly conserved behavioral characteristics that include elevated arousal threshold, rebound following sleep ...