SCORHE: A system for automated video-based assessment of activity and behavior for mice housed in a home-cage environment

Friday, November 08, 2013 — Poster Session III
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.	FAES Academic Center (Upper-Level Terrace)	CIT	BEHAV-6

Authors

GH Salem
J Krynitsky
B Kirkland
E Lin
M Garmendia-Cedillos
S Pajevic
J Malley
J Dennis
T Furusawa
T Deng
M Bustin
JP Gillet
MM Gottesman
A Sowers
JB Mitchell
TJ Pohida

Abstract

The System for Continuous Observation of Rodents in Home-cage Environment (SCORHE) was developed to quantify activity levels and behavior patterns for mice housed within a commercial ventilated cage rack. The SCORHE in-rack design provides daytime and night-time monitoring with the stability and consistency of the home-cage environment. SCORHE makes efficient use of space, and is animal facility user-friendly. Given the system’s low cost and suitability for use in existing vivariums without modification to animal husbandry procedures or housing setup, SCORHE opens up the potential for wider use of automated video monitoring in animal facilities. SCORHE potential uses include day-to-day health monitoring, as well as advanced behavioral screening and ethology experiments, ranging from assessing short- and long-term effects of experimental cancer treatments to evaluation of mouse models. When used for phenotyping and animal model studies, SCORHE aims to eliminate concerns often associated with many mouse monitoring methods, such as circadian rhythm disruption, acclimation periods, lack of nighttime measurements, and short monitoring periods. The results of studies comparing activity and behavior profiles for knockout mice (HMGN and ABCB5) and their respective C57BL parental mice are reported. A study of the effect of the antioxidant Tempol on mice activity is presented.