Eco-HAB as a fully automated and ecologically relevant assessment of social impairments in mouse models of autism

Eco-HAB is an open source, RFID-based system for automated measurement and analysis of social preference and in-cohort sociability in mice. The system closely follows murine ethology. It requires no contact between a human experimenter and tested animals, overcoming the confounding factors that lead...

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Published ineLife Vol. 5
Main Authors Puścian, Alicja, Łęski, Szymon, Kasprowicz, Grzegorz, Winiarski, Maciej, Borowska, Joanna, Nikolaev, Tomasz, Boguszewski, Paweł M, Lipp, Hans-Peter, Knapska, Ewelina
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England eLife Science Publications, Ltd 12.10.2016
eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
Subjects
Animal models
Animals
Anxiety
Autism
automated testing
Automation
Automation, Laboratory
Behavior
Behavior, Animal
Burrows
Data processing
Disease Models, Animal
ecological relevance
Laboratories
Mice, Inbred BALB C
Mice, Inbred C57BL
mouse models
Neuroscience
Odors
Reproducibility of Results
Social aspects
Social behavior
Social Behavior Disorders - diagnosis
social impairments
Software
Tools and Resources
Tunnels
mouse models
mouse
ecological relevance
social impairments
neuroscience
social behavior
automated testing
autism
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Summary:Eco-HAB is an open source, RFID-based system for automated measurement and analysis of social preference and in-cohort sociability in mice. The system closely follows murine ethology. It requires no contact between a human experimenter and tested animals, overcoming the confounding factors that lead to irreproducible assessment of murine social behavior between laboratories. In Eco-HAB, group-housed animals live in a spacious, four-compartment apparatus with shadowed areas and narrow tunnels, resembling natural burrows. Eco-HAB allows for assessment of the tendency of mice to voluntarily spend time together in ethologically relevant mouse group sizes. Custom-made software for automated tracking, data extraction, and analysis enables quick evaluation of social impairments. The developed protocols and standardized behavioral measures demonstrate high replicability. Unlike classic three-chambered sociability tests, Eco-HAB provides measurements of spontaneous, ecologically relevant social behaviors in group-housed animals. Results are obtained faster, with less manpower, and without confounding factors.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
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ISSN:2050-084X
2050-084X
DOI:10.7554/eLife.19532