Knowing where the nose is

Abstract

Improvements in imaging technology and the development of powerful machine learning algorithms are revolutionizing the study of animal behavior in the laboratory. These innovations promise to reveal both global and local features of action relevant to understanding how the brain functions. A study in BMC Biology describes one such tool called OptiMouse, which is an open source platform that uses video to capture key features of mouse behavior, including information relevant to olfactory investigation.See research article: 10.1186/s12915-017-0377-3.

Fig. 1

OptiMouse enables a configurable and interactive workflow to minimize mouse feature errors within a video recording. Multiple parameter sets can be defined for mouse extraction (left panels), then the best detection algorithm is picked to minimize detection errors (middle panels). Different parameters and algorithms can be used on different blocks of the same video for optimal detection. The whole process can be repeated until the desired detection performance is reached (right panels). Figure adapted from [7]. ROI Region of interest

Fig. 2

A cartoon dataset illustrating how measuring where the nose is may lead to insight into the underlying strategies used by mice to explore and exploit resources in their environment. In this cartoon, high frequency nose movements reflect investigatory strategies associated with local exploitation, whereas low frequency movements are used to interrogate space as part of exploratory strategies