MouseBytes

MouseBytes provides a high-throughput pipeline and database for automated touchscreen-based assessment of rodent cognition to standardize and enable analysis of behavioral datasets.

Key Features:

• Automated touchscreen data acquisition: Processes outputs from automated touchscreen-based tests for rodent cognitive assessment.
• High-throughput processing: Supports large-scale collection and analysis of datasets derived from touchscreen testing.
• Database integration (mousebytes.ca): Aggregates behavioral datasets into a centralized repository for combined analysis.
• XML quality control: Verifies integrity of XML files generated by the Bussey-Saksida Mouse Touchscreen System via ABET II and checks for fields such as "Analysis Name", "Schedule Name", "Max_Number_Trials", and "Max_Schedule_Time".
• Standardized outputs: Produces consistent, machine-readable outputs to facilitate aggregation and comparative analyses.

Scientific Applications:

• Cognitive neuroscience: Supports systematic assessment of high-level cognitive functions in rodent models using touchscreen paradigms.
• Alzheimer's disease models: Enables generation and analysis of age-dependent cognitive datasets from male and female mice across three strains to study affected cognitive domains.
• Meta-analysis and aggregation: Allows aggregation of validated behavioral records for meta-analyses of cognitive impairments.

Methodology:

MouseBytes ingests standardized outputs from automated touchscreen-based tests, performs XML integrity checks on files produced by the Bussey-Saksida Mouse Touchscreen System via ABET II (verifying fields including "Analysis Name", "Schedule Name", "Max_Number_Trials", and "Max_Schedule_Time"), and aggregates validated records into the database.