Machine Learning Methods for Environmental-Enrichment-Related Variations in Behavioral Responses of Laboratory Rats

Abstract

Environmental enrichment (EE) paradigms are designed to enhance laboratory animals surroundings to encourage natural behaviors. Some enrichment paradigms also include a social component, based on the social interactions typical of the genus and species. Novel automatic methodologies based on image are becoming useful tools to improve laboratory works. This paper present a first approach to the automatic image analysis of laboratory rats in EE: behaviour, drug effects and pathology. The new methodology is based on image and Machine Learning paradigms and will become a useful tool for Neuroscience issues.