title: Validation and implementation of a novel high-throughput behavioral phenotyping instrument for mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Behavioral assessment of mutant mouse models and novel candidate drugs is a slow and labor intensive process. This limitation produces a significant impediment to CNS drug discovery.
  
  
  METHODS
  By combining video and vibration analysis we created an automated system that provides the most detailed description of mouse behavior available. Our system (The Behavioral Spectrometer) allowed for the rapid assessment of behavioral abnormalities in the BTBR model of Autism, the restraint model of stress and the irritant model of inflammatory pain.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that each model produced a unique alteration of the spectrum of behavior emitted by the mice. BTBR mice engaged in more grooming and less rearing behaviors. Prior restraint stress produced dramatic increases in grooming activity at the expense of locomotor behavior. Pain produced profound decreases in emitted behavior that were reversible with analgesic treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We evaluated our system through a direct comparison on the same subjects with the current "gold standard" of human observation of video recordings. Using the same mice evaluated over the same range of behaviors, the Behavioral Spectrometer produced a quantitative categorization of behavior that was highly correlated with the scores produced by trained human observers (r=0.97).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show that this new system is a highly valid and sensitive method to characterize behavioral effects in mice. As a fully automated and easily scalable instrument the Behavioral Spectrometer represents a high-throughput behavioral tool that reduces the time and labor involved in behavioral research.
authors.affiliation: Behavioral Instruments, 5 Jill Court Unit 1, Hillsborough, NJ 08844, United States. Electronic address: Brodkin@behavioralinstruments.com.
authors.forename: Jesse
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brodkin
authors.affiliation: Behavioral Instruments, 5 Jill Court Unit 1, Hillsborough, NJ 08844, United States.
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, United States.
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Grippo
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, United States.
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hausfater
authors.affiliation: Behavioral Core Facility, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Rose F. Kennedy Center, RM 925, 1410 Pelham Pkwy S., Bronx, NY 10461, United States.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gulinello
authors.affiliation: BIOBSERVE GmbH, Siegburger Str. 35, 53757 St. Augustin, Germany.
authors.forename: Nils
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Achterholt
authors.affiliation: BIOBSERVE GmbH, Siegburger Str. 35, 53757 St. Augustin, Germany. Electronic address: christian.gutzen@biobserve.com.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gutzen
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000633:toxicity; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002351:Carrageenan / Q000633:toxicity; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D001330:Electronic Data Processing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009288:Naproxen / Q000633:toxicity; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012149:Restraint, Physical / Q000379:methods; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D009288:Naproxen; D002351:Carrageenan
keywords: Automated detection; Behavioral screening; Ethological analysis; Grooming; Neurobehavioral assessment; Video analysis