Department of Nutrition, University Federal of Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil.
J Neurosci Methods. 2011 Feb 15;195(2):216-21. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2010.12.016. Epub 2010 Dec 21.
Automatic analysis of locomotion in studies of behavior and development is of great importance because it eliminates the subjective influence of evaluators on the study. This study aimed to develop and test the reproducibility of a system for automated analysis of locomotor activity in rats. For this study, 15 male Wistar were evaluated at P8, P14, P17, P21, P30 and P60. A monitoring system was developed that consisted of an open field of 1m in diameter with a black surface, an infrared digital camera and a video capture card. The animals were filmed for 2 min as they moved freely in the field. The images were sent to a computer connected to the camera. Afterwards, the videos were analyzed using software developed using MATLAB® (mathematical software). The software was able to recognize the pixels constituting the image and extract the following parameters: distance traveled, average speed, average potency, time immobile, number of stops, time spent in different areas of the field and time immobile/number of stops. All data were exported for further analysis. The system was able to effectively extract the desired parameters. Thus, it was possible to observe developmental changes in the patterns of movement of the animals. We also discuss similarities and differences between this system and previously described systems.
自动分析行为和发育研究中的运动非常重要，因为它消除了评估者对研究的主观影响。本研究旨在开发和测试一种用于自动分析大鼠运动活动的系统的重现性。在这项研究中，15 只雄性 Wistar 大鼠在 P8、P14、P17、P21、P30 和 P60 时进行了评估。开发了一种监测系统，该系统由一个直径为 1m 的黑色表面的开放场、一个红外数字摄像机和一个视频采集卡组成。动物在自由移动的过程中在该场地上拍摄 2 分钟。将图像发送到连接到摄像机的计算机。然后，使用 MATLAB®（数学软件）开发的软件对视频进行分析。该软件能够识别构成图像的像素，并提取以下参数：行进距离、平均速度、平均力度、静止时间、停止次数、在场地不同区域的时间和静止时间/停止次数。所有数据均导出以供进一步分析。该系统能够有效地提取所需的参数。因此，可以观察到动物运动模式的发育变化。我们还讨论了该系统与以前描述的系统之间的相似点和不同点。
