Video Tracking for Behaviour Research
Tests you can track
If an animal moves through a space you can film from above, there's a good chance you can track it. Here are the regulars.
| Test | Main measures |
|---|---|
| Morris water maze | Latency, path, heading, proximity, strategies |
| Open field | Distance, centre time, thigmotaxis |
| Elevated plus maze | Open-arm time and entries |
| T-maze, Y-maze | Alternation, choices |
| Radial arm maze | Working and reference memory errors |
| Barnes maze | Errors at holes, strategy |
| Novel object recognition | Time exploring each object |
| Three-chamber sociability | Time near a stranger versus an object |
| Novelty suppressed feeding | Latency to feed |
| Zebrafish larvae (48 or 96 well) | Activity per well over time |
Many systems can follow several arenas with a single camera, a real time-saver when you're screening.