An unsupervised learning approach for tracking mice in an enclosed area.

Journal: BMC bioinformatics
Published Date:

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In neuroscience research, mouse models are valuable tools to understand the genetic mechanisms that advance evidence-based discovery. In this context, large-scale studies emphasize the need for automated high-throughput systems providing a reproducible behavioral assessment of mutant mice with only a minimum level of manual intervention. Basic element of such systems is a robust tracking algorithm. However, common tracking algorithms are either limited by too specific model assumptions or have to be trained in an elaborate preprocessing step, which drastically limits their applicability for behavioral analysis.

Authors

  • Jakob Unger
    Department of Computer Science, Trier University of Applied Sciences, Schneidershof, 54293 Trier, Germany. Electronic address: jakob.unger@lfb.rwth-aachen.de.
  • Mike Mansour
    Institute of Imaging and Computer Vision, RWTH Aachen University, Kopernikusstr. 16, Aachen, 52056, Germany.
  • Marcin Kopaczka
    Institute of Imaging and Computer Vision, RWTH Aachen University, Kopernikusstr. 16, Aachen, 52056, Germany.
  • Nina Gronloh
    Department of Chemosensation, Institute of Biology II, RWTH Aachen University, Worringer Weg 3, Aachen, 52074, Germany.
  • Marc Spehr
    Department of Chemosensation, Institute of Biology II, RWTH Aachen University, Worringer Weg 3, Aachen, 52074, Germany.
  • Dorit Merhof
    Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany (J.S., D.B.A., S.N.); Institute of Computer Vision and Imaging, RWTH University Aachen, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52072 Aachen, Germany (J.S., D.M.); Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Aachen, Aachen, Germany (D.T., M.P., F.M., C.K., S.N.); and Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute of Informatics, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany (S.C.).