Novel object recognition

The novel object recognition test is used to test the memory of laboratory mice or rats. The animal is exposed to one or more familiar objects and one novel object. Normally, the animal will spent more time investigating the novel object. If exploration of the novel and familiar objects is the same, this is interpreted as a memory deficit. In addition to novel object recognition, novel location recognition tests another kind of memory. Studies show that while object recognition is hippocampus-independent, location recognition is, in fact, dependent on hippocampal functioning.

EthoVision XT is the way to automate your novel object recognition test. It is just as accurate, if not better, as a highly-trained human observer. To illustrate, both Cyrenne and Brown [4] and Benice and Raber [1] found strong correlations between their automatically collected EthoVision XT data and manual observations.

Download the white paper to learn more about how this versatile software platform works, and how it can complete your research!