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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2023.06.01.543206

pi_tailtrack: A compact, inexpensive, and open-source behaviour-tracking system for head-restrained zebrafish

Randlett, O.
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Abstract

Quantifying animal behavior during microscopy is crucial to associate optically recorded neural activity with behavioural outputs and states. Here I describe an imaging and tracking system for head-restrained larval zebrafish compatible with functional microscopy. This system is based on the Raspberry Pi computer, Pi NoIR camera, and open-source software for the real-time tail segmentation and skeletonization of the zebrafish tail at over 100hz. This allows for precise and long-term analyses of swimming behaviour, that can be related to functional signals recorded in individual neurons. This system offers a simple but performant solution for quantifying the behavior of head-restrained larval zebrafish, which can be built for 340{euro}.

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Randlett, O.. 2023-06-05. pi_tailtrack: A compact, inexpensive, and open-source behaviour-tracking system for head-restrained zebrafish. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.06.01.543206

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