posted on 2023-11-13, 18:34authored byYutao Bai, Jason Henry, Eva Cheng, Stuart Perry, David Mawdsley, Bob B. M. Wong, Jan Kaslin, Donald Wlodkowic
Aquatic
eco-neurotoxicology is an emerging field that requires
new analytical systems to study the effects of pollutants on animal
behaviors. This is especially true if we are to gain insights into
one of the least studied aspects: the potential perturbations that
neurotoxicants can have on cognitive behaviors. The paucity of experimental
data is partly caused by a lack of low-cost technologies for the analysis
of higher-level neurological functions (e.g., associative learning)
in small aquatic organisms. Here, we present a proof-of-concept prototype
that utilizes a new real-time animal tracking software for on-the-fly
video analysis and closed-loop, external hardware communications to
deliver stimuli based on specific behaviors in aquatic organisms,
spanning three animal phyla: chordates (fish, frog), platyhelminthes
(flatworm), and arthropods (crustacean). The system’s open-source
software features an intuitive graphical user interface and advanced
adaptive threshold-based image segmentation for precise animal detection.
We demonstrate the precision of animal tracking across multiple aquatic
species with varying modes of locomotion. The presented technology
interfaces easily with low-cost and open-source hardware such as the
Arduino microcontroller family for closed-loop stimuli control. The
new system has potential future applications in eco-neurotoxicology,
where it could enable new opportunities for cognitive research in
diverse small aquatic model organisms.