Capturing variation in behavioral phenotypes expressed across rodent models of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remains a challenge. Here, Sandeep Robert Datta proposes to leverage the quantitative insight afforded by the Motion Sequencing (MoSeq) phenotyping platform¹ to better understand behavioral phenotypes in rat models of ASD.

Datta’s lab proposes to develop a rat-specific version of MoSeq, building off their lab’s success using MoSeq to phenotype mice^1,2. Their goal will be to develop a public-facing version of rat MoSeq to complement the mouse platform (currently distributed at www.moseq4all.org).

Datta and colleagues plan to use this platform, in collaboration with Peter Kind, to perform open field MoSeq analysis of Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain (SIDB) strains currently under expansion in Edinburgh (including Arid1b, Chd8, Dyrk1a, Grin2b, Scn2a and 16p11.2 deletion mice). In addition, they plan to create a framework to import and featurize point tracking data from algorithms like DeepLabCut³ into MoSeq; this will allow future work in which data from rat behavior in the habitat (which is currently acquired with 2D cameras) can be fed into MoSeq for behavioral modeling.

1. Wiltschko A.B. et al.Neuron 88, 1121-1135 (2015) PubMed
2. Wiltschko A.B. et al. Neurosci. 23, 1433-1443 (2020) PubMed
3. Mathis A. et al. Neurosci. 21, 1281-1289 (2018) PubMed