Scientists have developed a "smart house" for mice, which will allow scientists to observe the behavior of tested mice while limiting disturbance levels.

Researchers are constantly working to ensure external factors and outside influence, like the presence of a peering scientists, aren't influencing test results. Designers of the new digs claim their "Autonomouse" system will improve the welfare of lab mice, while ensuring greater consistency across different tests results.

"We want to understand how the brain works, and for that we need to measure behavior," Andreas Schaefer, neuroscience researcher at the Francis Crick Institute in England, said in a news release. "In mice, this is normally done in a very manual and laborious way, which limits the amount of questions we can ask. So we thought of a more efficient way of doing this by getting animals to train themselves."

Schaefer and his colleagues outfitted their smart house for mice with an unlimited supply of food and water, as well as plenty of entertainment, including running wheels and ladders. Each of the inhabitants are tagged with a microchip that allow scientists to remotely monitor the mice's activity levels, weight and water consumption.

The microchip also allows scientists to isolate individual mice for tasks and training. When a mouse enters the test or training room, the microchip triggers the door to close, keeping other mice out. The chip also records the results of each individual test. Test results are linked with each individual mouse.

"Working with an unstressed, group-housed cohort of mice that train themselves at the time of day that suits them, without the intervention of researchers over long periods of time, makes our experiments better and more efficient," Schaefer said.

Researchers described the new smart house for mice this week in the journal PLOS One.

Related Links
Darwin Today At TerraDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Alien species are the largest driver of recent extinctions
Washington (UPI) Mar 4, 2019
Alien species are the largest driver of animal and plant extinctions since 1500, according to a new survey. Scientists at the University College London analyzed data related to 953 global extinctions listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Their survey showed 300 extinctions were at least partially to blame for the species demise. Of the 300 extinctions, alien species were solely to blame for 42 percent - 126 extinctions. Native species were linked with only a smal ... read more