Zebrafish Research with EthoVision XT and The Observer XT
Gerlai Lab | University of Toronto
Meet Dr. Robert Gerlai, a distinguished researcher at the Gerlai Lab in Toronto, Canada. Dr. Gerlai is a leading expert in the field of zebrafish research, specializing in their social behaviors and cognitive processes.
Join us in this customer success video to explore the intriguing world of zebrafish research. Find out how products like EthoVision XT and The Observer XT help Robert Gerlai and most of all his students learn and perform scientific experiments.
Dr. Gerlai: "Here behavioral analysis is relatively intuitive and easy to learn."
Zebrafish have been an ever growing part of behavioral research for quite some time now. However, not many labs are solely focussed on expanding the field of zebrafish research. At the Gerlai lab not only do the researchers and students perform conventional behavioral tests, they also research new applications of zebrafish and other fish species, like ram cichlids.
Because behavioral analysis at the Gerlai lab is inuitive and easy to learn, there are a lot of graduate and undergraduate students working at the lab learning the basic principles of science. This allow them to fully cooperate with the scientific method and even publish. The Noldus products are instrumental in providing this ideal learning environment.
Do you want to know more about the type of tests that are conducted at the Gerlai Lab? Then follow the link below to our blog about the interviews we did with the students at the University.
check out our blog!The power of EthoVision XT and The Observer XT
The Observer XT and EthoVision XT are an integral part of the scientific method at the Gerlai lab. According to Dr. Gerlai the best way to study animal behavior is to watch the animal first before doing tests. The internal and external factors of the experiment can have unexpected influences on the behavior. The Observer XT is used after the researchers observe the fish for these unique behaviors. The Observer XT helps define behavioral postures and motor patterns. Once they figure out how to measure these behavioral parameters the researchers will set up a tracking based test with EthoVision XT. These tracking based tests are a lot less time consuming and more automated than watching the animal manually.
"I can get all this behavioral data easily by a click of a button, and basically analyze and look at behaviors I couldn't do on my own."