Behavioral Research Blog

To hide or explore? What the elevated plus maze reveals about anxiety

A raised, plus-shaped platform with two arms walled in and two arms open. In this blog we explain what the elevated plus maze measures, look at how labs are pairing it with EthoVision, and share practical tips.

Optogenetics: using light to study the brain and behavior

Learn how optogenetics uses light to study brain activity, from its inception to where the technology stands today.

FaceReader 10 vs. Open-Source Facial Expression Tools

See how FaceReader 10 stacks up against OpenFace, LibreFace, and pyAFAR on emotion classification accuracy, Action Unit detection, and infant facial expression analysis in this updated 2026 comparison.

The complete guide to behavioral observation

Behavioral observation is essential to reliable research, training, and clinical work. Learn what it is, why it matters, and how to implement it effectively without sacrificing time or consistency.

Free to roam: the open field test is a behavioral staple

Researchers reach for the open field test for many different goals: a general locomotor screening, an anxiety readout. In this blog we explore what it measures, how recent studies are using it, and how to set it up in your lab with EthoVision.

Counting the choices: what the radial arm maze teaches us

The radial arm maze asks a rodent to remember eight paths at once, without doubling back. We look at how it works, what recent studies discover, and how automated tracking turns each run into precise data.

EthoVision vs. DeepLabCut: Why the answer Is often both

EthoVision and DeepLabCut were built to solve different problems. This guide lays out what each tool does best, where they overlap, and how to decide which belongs in your behavioral research pipeline.

Three arms, one decision: the Y-maze for learning and memory

The Y-maze is one of the most efficient tools for studying spatial and working memory. Learn how automated tracking transforms arm entries into clean, objective data across rodent and zebrafish models.

5 coding-scheme decisions you cannot undo later

A setup checklist for The Observer : the five structural choices that decide whether your scheme works on the first video or works against you.

Lasting effects: studying early-life experience in insects

Physiology and behavior can buckle under stress. Stressors experienced early in life may even have long-lasting effects. Because of their life span, insects are a very interesting model to test these effects in detail.

Measuring social behavior in rodents: the power of EthoVision

Traditional behavioral assays of multiple animals often rely on manual or rudimentary methods. With EthoVision the world of measuring social behavior in rodents has been revolutionized. Read more in this why EthoVision is the best out of the box tracker.

A personal journey in behavioral analysis: Thigmotaxis with DanioFlow

Dr. Torres-Ruiz has developed a tool for analyze EthoVision data. Her program takes data and transforms it into simplified harmonized data for studying thigmotaxis in zebrafish. However, there is much more that could be achieved with DanioFlow.