title: The development of locomotor kinematics in neonatal rats: an agent-based modeling analysis in group and individual contexts.
abstract: An agent-based model of infant rat (pup) locomotion and aggregation was developed by modifying a previous model of pup aggregation [Schank, J.C., Alberts, J.R., 2000a. The developmental emergence of coupled activity as cooperative aggregation in rat pups. Proc. R. Soc. London B 267, 2307-2315]. The main difference between the earlier and current models is the incorporation of whole-body kinematics of directional locomotion. Data on locomotion and aggregation are presented for individuals and groups of 7- and 10-day-old pups and the data were used to evolve models (with a genetic algorithm) that fit these data. Aggregation between 7- and 10-day-old pups was considerably different and could be explained by agent-based models, in particular, models with directional-kinematic matrices specifying the probabilities of moving to adjacent cells. The directional kinematics of whole-body movement differed between the two age classes and differed between group and individual contexts for 10-day-old pups. This may indicate a developmental transition (by day 10) to more central control of behavior and the ability to change patterns of movement based on social context. The behavior analyzed with agent-based models may provide a precise way to measure motor and nervous system development in rats and other rodents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA. jcschank@ucdavis.edu
authors.forename: Jeffrey C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Schank
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D003423:Critical Period, Psychological; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000254:growth & development; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012919:Social Behavior