Scientific Reports · 5 authors, 1 centre
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The authors developed a low-cost, 8-cage imaging system with animated visual stimuli for overnight recordings of mouse behavior, enabling automated analysis of 15 specific behaviors. When applied to a triple transgenic Alzheimer's disease mouse model, the system detected reduced acclimation, hyperactivity during the first hour of darkness, and less time spent at home compared to wild-type mice.
This methods paper describes the development of an 8-cage imaging system designed for overnight (22-hour) recordings of mouse behavior with automated image analysis. The system uses standard laptop computers, PowerPoint-based visual stimuli, and freely available software (ImageJ, Fiji, DeepLabCut) for analysis, enabling a throughput of 32 mice per workweek. The authors evaluated 15 specific behaviors in 4–5-month-old female B6129SF2/J wild-type mice and 3xTG-AD triple transgenic Alzheimer's disease model mice using a behavioral test battery that progressed from least to most aversive stimuli. AD-model mice showed reduced acclimation to the novel cage environment, hyperactivity during the first hour of darkness, and less time spent at home relative to wild-type mice. Key limitations include that the system is not suited for multi-day experiments due to bedding interference with bottom illumination and stimuli presentation, imaging was limited to 1 frame per second, and only female mice of one age range were examined. The authors note the system can be duplicated on a limited budget and extended to other behavioral assays.
