Analysis of vigilant scanning behavior in mice using two-point digital video tracking

Abstract

Rationale: Vigilant scanning of the environment is a major risk assessment activity in many species. However, due to difficulties in its manual scoring, scanning has rarely been quantified in laboratory rodent studies. Objectives and methods: We developed a novel method for automated measurement of vigilant scanning in mice, based on simultaneous tracking of an animal's nose- and center-points. The studied scanning parameters included the frequency and duration of scans and scanning (nose-point) speed. The sensitivity of these parameters to anxiolytic diazepam (1-2 mg/kg) and anxiogenic FG-7142 (5 mg/kg) was evaluated upon exposure to the context (conditioning chamber) before and 24 h after ..