On-line analysis of rapid motion with a microcomputer

A combined system for measuring animal motion activities

In this study, we have developed a combined animal motion activity measurement system that combines an infrared light matrix subsystem with an ultrasonic phase shift subsystem for animal activity measurement. Accordingly, in conjunction with an IBM PC/AT compatible personal computer, the combined system has the advantages of both infrared and ultrasonic subsystems. That is, it can at once measure and directly analyze detailed changes in animal activity ranging from locomotion to tremor. The main advantages of this combined system are that it features real time data acquisition with the option of animated real time or recorded display/playback of the animal's motion. Additionally, under the multi-task operating condition of IBM PC, it can acquire and process behavior using both IR and ultrasound systems simultaneously. Traditional systems have had to make separate runs for gross and fine movement recording. This combined system can be profitably employed for normative behavioral activity studies and for neurological and pharmacological research.

A new automated method for detection and recording of animal moving path

A new electronic system has been developed to trace the location and movement of small animals in an open-field environment. The system, incorporated with a conventional touch panel position sensor (TPPS) and an IBM AT compatible computer, automtically digitizes and records the moving path of the animal. The detection principle of the TPPS is based on the pressure effect. Whenever an animal is put on the TPPS, the location of the animal can be detected. The personal computer system is in corporate to record the locomotion data of the animal. The system described here is shown to be a reliable and accurate tool to record the moving path of an animal. This measurement did not require extra light or other stimuli, and the apparatus is low priced, and simple to build up and user friendly.

A simple video position-digitizer for studying animal movement patterns

A simple video position-digitizer has been developed for studying the movement patterns of small animals. This report provides a complete procedure for constructing the circuit, which when used in conjunction with a conventional video camera and an IBM PC compatible computer, automatically digitizes and records the path of a dark animal against a light colored background for relatively long periods of time.

Morphology of antennal motoneurons in the brains of two crickets, Gryllus bimaculatus and Gryllus campestris

The morphology of the antennal muscles of two cricket species, Gryllus campestris and G. bimaculatus, and their innervation are described. The motoneurons innervating the five tentorio-scapal muscles M4 and M5 and the two scapo-pedicellar muscles M6 and M7 were stained with cobalt chloride introduced via the cut axonal endings in the muscle. The seven antennal muscles are innervated by a total of 17 excitatory motoneurons and one common inhibitory neuron. These neurons branch in the dorsal neuropil of the deuto- and tritocerebrum. No difference in the morphology of the motoneurons between the two species was evident. Two dorsal-unpaired-medial (DUM) neurons located in the suboesophageal ganglion also innervate the antennal muscles. Intracellular recordings of some motoneurons combined with Lucifer Yellow injections corroborated the motoneuron morphology obtained by cobalt backfilling from the muscles. The recordings showed that the motoneurons are either of the fast or the slow type.