Cognitive Neuroscience Sector, International School for Advanced Studies, Trieste, Italy.
J Neurophysiol. 2011 Apr;105(4):1950-62. doi: 10.1152/jn.00764.2010. Epub 2011 Feb 9.
The rodent whisker system has become the leading experimental paradigm for the study of active sensing. Thanks to more sophisticated behavioral paradigms, progressively better neurophysiological methods, and improved video hardware/software, there is now the prospect of defining the precise connection between the sensory apparatus and brain activity in awake, exploring animals. Achieving this ambitious goal requires quantitative, objective characterization of head and whisker kinematics. This study presents the methodology and potential uses of a new automated motion analysis routine. The program provides full quantification of head orientation and translation, as well as the angle, frequency, amplitude, and bilateral symmetry of whisking. The system operates without any need for manual tracing by the user. Quantitative comparison to whisker detection by expert humans indicates that the program's correct detection rate is at >95% even on animals with all whiskers intact. Particular attention has been paid to obtaining reliable performance under nonoptimal lighting or video conditions and at frame rates as low as 100. Variation of the zoom across time is compensated for without user intervention. The program adapts automatically to the size and shape of different species. The outcome of our testing indicates that the program can be a valuable tool in quantifying rodent sensorimotor behavior.
啮齿动物的胡须系统已成为主动感知研究的主要实验范例。由于更复杂的行为范例、逐渐改进的神经生理学方法以及改进的视频硬件/软件，现在有望在清醒、探索的动物中定义感觉器官和大脑活动之间的精确联系。实现这一雄心勃勃的目标需要对头和胡须运动学进行定量、客观的描述。本研究介绍了一种新的自动运动分析例程的方法和潜在用途。该程序提供了头部方向和平移的完整量化，以及胡须的角度、频率、幅度和双侧对称性。该系统无需用户手动跟踪即可运行。与专家人类的胡须检测进行定量比较表明，即使对于所有胡须完好无损的动物，该程序的正确检测率也超过 95%。特别注意在非最佳照明或视频条件下以及帧率低至 100 时获得可靠的性能。无需用户干预即可补偿时间上的缩放变化。该程序自动适应不同物种的大小和形状。我们的测试结果表明，该程序可以成为量化啮齿动物感觉运动行为的有用工具。
