SAMPL is a high-throughput solution to study unconstrained vertical behavior in small animals

Summary: Balance and movement are impaired in many neurological disorders. Recent advances in behavioral monitoring provide unprecedented access to posture and locomotor kinematics but without the throughput and scalability necessary to screen candidate genes/potential therapeutics. Here, we present...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yunlu Zhu, Franziska Auer, Hannah Gelnaw, Samantha N. Davis, Kyla R. Hamling, Christina E. May, Hassan Ahamed, Niels Ringstad, Katherine I. Nagel, David Schoppik
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2023-06-01
Series:Cell Reports
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124723005843
Description
Summary:Summary: Balance and movement are impaired in many neurological disorders. Recent advances in behavioral monitoring provide unprecedented access to posture and locomotor kinematics but without the throughput and scalability necessary to screen candidate genes/potential therapeutics. Here, we present a scalable apparatus to measure posture and locomotion (SAMPL). SAMPL includes extensible hardware and open-source software with real-time processing and can acquire data from D. melanogaster, C. elegans, and D. rerio as they move vertically. Using SAMPL, we define how zebrafish balance as they navigate vertically and discover small but systematic variations among kinematic parameters between genetic backgrounds. We demonstrate SAMPL’s ability to resolve differences in posture and navigation as a function of effect size and data gathered, providing key data for screens. SAMPL is therefore both a tool to model balance and locomotor disorders and an exemplar of how to scale apparatus to support screens.
ISSN:2211-1247