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

ABSTRACT: 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 pro

SUBMITTER: Puscian A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5092044 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature