A customizable, low-cost optomotor apparatus: A powerful tool for behaviourally measuring visual capability
A customizable, low-cost optomotor apparatus: A powerful tool for behaviourally measuring visual capability
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DOI：
10.1111/2041-210x.13449
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发表时间：
2020-08-16
影响因子：
6.6
通讯作者：
Kelley, Laura A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Caves, Eleanor M.;Troscianko, Jolyon;Kelley, Laura A.
视觉是许多动物的主要感觉，视觉能力存在巨大的差异。因此，了解特定物种的视觉能力可能是研究其行为和进化的关键。然而，许多用于量化视觉能力的技术是昂贵的，需要专门的设备或者对于动物是终端的。在这里，我们讨论了如何测量optomotor（或视动）的反应，先天反应，可以引起没有任何培训，在广泛的类群，这是可量化的，可访问的和非侵入性的，并提供指导进行optomotor实验。我们提供了使用3D打印和低成本材料构建可定制的可编程optomotor装置的说明，讨论了optomotor测定的实验设计考虑因素，包括计算不同空间频率刺激的尺寸的指南，并提供了一个表格，总结了一系列物种的先前optomotor实验中的实验参数。最终，使这种简单的技术更容易获得将允许更多的研究人员将视觉能力的措施纳入他们的工作。此外，我们的设备的低成本和易于构造将允许各种设置中的教育者在课堂活动或演示中包括视动仪测定。虽然这里我们专注于使用optomotor来测量视觉敏锐度-感知细节的能力-这里描述的设备和刺激可以适用于测量视觉能力，包括光谱，对比度和偏振灵敏度，以及运动检测，等等。
Vision is the dominant sense for many animals, and there is an enormous diversity in visual capabilities. Understanding the visual abilities of a given species can therefore be key for investigating its behaviour and evolution. However, many techniques for quantifying visual capability are expensive, require specialized equipment or are terminal for the animal. Here, we discuss how to measure the optomotor (or optokinetic) response, an innate response that can be elicited without any training in a wide range of taxa, and which is quantifiable, accessible and non-invasive, and provide guidance for carrying out optomotor experiments. We provide instructions for building a customizable, programmable optomotor apparatus using 3D-printed and low-cost materials, discuss experimental design considerations for optomotor assays, including a guide that calculates the dimensions of stimuli of varying spatial frequency, and provide a table summarizing experimental parameters in prior optomotor experiments across a range of species. Ultimately, making this simple technique more accessible will allow more researchers to incorporate measures of visual capability into their work. Additionally, the low cost and ease of construction of our apparatus will allow educators in a variety of settings to include optomotor assays in classroom activities or demonstrations. Although here we focus on using optomotor to measure visual acuity-the ability to perceive detail-the apparatus and stimuli described here can be adapted to measure visual capabilities including spectral, contrast and polarization sensitivity, as well as motion detection, among others.