Noldus teams up with Institut Pasteur to deliver new software for behavioral neuroscience research

Noldus Information Technology and Institut Pasteur have collaborated on the development of an innovative solution for automatic tracking and analysis of social behavior in mice. Today we announce the result of this joint effort: a new tool for behavioral neuroscience research, combining Live Mouse Tracker (LMT) and EthoVision XT software. This integration facilitates and enhances the analysis and visualization of LMT data.

Live Mouse Tracker was developed by the Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions unit of Institut Pasteur. LMT is a system for real-time behavioral analysis of groups of mice in a dedicated hardware setup. Through the use of RFID, computer vision and machine learning, LMT is able to track multiple mice, extract their individual and social behaviors and assign these parameters to individual animals.

EthoVision XT, under continuous development by Noldus Information Technology since its market introduction in 1993, is the most widely used video tracking software for the analysis of behavior, movement and activity of laboratory animals. With the release of version 17.5, LMT data can be imported and analyzed directly in EthoVision XT, which brings all of the functionality and power of EthoVision XT to LMT users. EthoVision XT offers easy organization of LMT trials, which in turn enables data filtering, nesting and analysis. Furthermore, LMT data can be visualized in EthoVision’s graphs and integrated data plots.

Lucas Noldus, CEO of Noldus Information Technology, comments: “With this collaboration, the innovative development of Institut Pasteur and Noldus IT’s many years of experience in developing behavior analysis software, are combined to make a step forward in the measurement of social interactions in groups of mice. This will help to advance research on neurodevelopmental conditions and disorders with a social component in which mouse models are used, such as autism, ADHD and schizophrenia.”

The Institut Pasteur, a non-profit foundation with recognized charitable status set up by Louis Pasteur in 1887, is today an internationally renowned center for biomedical research. In the pursuit of its mission to tackle diseases in France and throughout the world, the Institut Pasteur operates in four main areas: research, public health, training, and development of research applications. Professor Thomas Bourgeron, head of the Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions unit, adds “I am happy to see our collaboration result in a novel tool that will make analysis of mouse social behavior more accessible to neuroscientists around the world”.

Noldus Information Technology, established in 1989 and headquartered in Wageningen, the Netherlands, develops software and integrated solutions for research on animal and human behavior. Noldus systems are used in more than 12.000 research groups at universities, institutes and companies around the world.

Visit www.noldus.com and discover the solutions and resources needed for your next project.

Visit www.livemousetracker.org to learn more about LMT and its applications.