CRCNS: Automated Behavior Analysis for Model Genetic Organism

CRCNS：模型遗传生物的自动行为分析

• 批准号: 7214417
• 负责人: Michael H Dickinson
• 金额: $ 24.15万
• 依托单位: CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-09-20 至 2011-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7214417
• 关键词: Drosophilidae; alcohols; behavior; flying; genes; genetic models; genetics; health; human; model

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project proposes to develop a new class of automated instruments for quantifying complex animal behavior quickly and efficiently, an effort that will be used for many health issues related to human behavior. The effort will focus on the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, because it currently represents the best opportunity for integrating state-of-the-art genetic techniques with a new generation of behavioral assays. Recent research has proven the fruit fly to be a powerful model system for studying many clinically-relevant features of human behavior. This strategy makes use of the fact that the nerve cells of flies and human share many common genetic features, which may be identified quite readily using tools available in fruit flies. For example, investigations that exploit the powerful genetic tools available in this organism have identified a series of candidate genes involved in alcohol and drug tolerance. Recent studies of human populations indicate similar genes may be involved in alcohol addiction. This strategy is not restricted to studies of drug and alcohol addiction, but has also been successfully exploited to study other features of human biology including aging, obesity, fear, aggression and sleep disorders. The potential and impact of these approaches is based on the ease of genetic analyses in flies and also on the ability to accurately identify behavioral defects in large numbers of animals. The goal of this grant will be to thoroughly modernize the quantification of fly behavior so that this genetic model organism can be used more efficiently in the study of a variety of behaviors related to human health. The project team will design, test, and make available three distinct systems that collectively will permit high-throughput quantitative analysis of the individual and social behaviors of adult Drosophila. In designing these instruments, the project team will make use of their collective expertise in machine vision as well as years of practical experience building specialized instruments for quantifying fly behavior. The devices will be intelligent, in that they will be able to automatically identify the most useful measurements to be carried out for a given task, as well as suggest possibly novel models of behavior. They will be based on off-the-shelf video and computer technology to be inexpensive and thus easy to use for the average molecular biologist. Much effort will be made to ensure that the resulting technology will be of use to a broad international community of researchers. Like the robotic sequencers that revolutionized the study of genomics, these devices will help transform behavioral science into a modern discipline of Ethometrics.

描述（由申请人提供）：该项目提议开发一种新型自动化仪器，用于快速有效地量化复杂的动物行为，这一努力将用于解决与人类行为相关的许多健康问题。这项工作将集中在果蝇（Drosophila melanogaster）上，因为它目前代表着将最先进的遗传技术与新一代行为分析相结合的最佳机会。最近的研究证明果蝇是研究人类行为的许多临床相关特征的强大模型系统。该策略利用了果蝇和人类的神经细胞具有许多共同遗传特征的事实，这些特征可以使用果蝇中可用的工具很容易地识别出来。例如，利用该生物体中可用的强大遗传工具进行的研究已经确定了一系列涉及酒精和药物耐受性的候选基因。最近对人群的研究表明，类似的基因可能与酒精成瘾有关。这种策略不仅限于药物和酒精成瘾的研究，还成功地用于研究人类生物学的其他特征，包括衰老、肥胖、恐惧、攻击性和睡眠障碍。这些方法的潜力和影响基于果蝇遗传分析的简易性以及准确识别大量动物行为缺陷的能力。这笔赠款的目标将是彻底现代化果蝇行为的量化，以便这种遗传模型生物可以更有效地用于研究与人类健康相关的各种行为。 该项目团队将设计、测试并提供三个不同的系统，这些系统共同将允许对成年果蝇的个体和社会行为进行高通量定量分析。在设计这些仪器时，项目团队将利用他们在机器视觉方面的集体专业知识以及多年构建用于量化苍蝇行为的专用仪器的实践经验。这些设备将是智能化的，因为它们将能够自动识别对给定任务进行的最有用的测量，并提出可能新颖的行为模型。它们将基于现成的视频和计算机技术，价格低廉，因此对于普通分子生物学家来说易于使用。我们将付出巨大努力来确保最终的技术能够被广泛的国际研究人员所使用。就像彻底改变基因组学研究的机器人测序仪一样，这些设备将有助于将行为科学转变为现代伦理学学科。