JP2006075138A - System and method for quantifying specific action - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To quantify the dynamics of the specific action of a model animal. <P>SOLUTION: The system 10 for quantifying specific action comprises a camera 20 for photographing a model animal, a distance calculation part 31 for calculating a distance between fixed two parts of the model animal from the image data photographed by the camera 20 and a quantification part 32 for quantifying the dynamics of the specific action of the model animal from the time series information of the distance calculated by the distance calculation part 31 based on a preset condition. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a specific behavior quantification system and a specific behavior quantification method for quantifying a specific behavior of a model animal.

  In recent years, an increase in allergies such as atopic diseases has become a major social problem, and there is a strong demand for the establishment of curative treatment for atopic diseases and the like and the development of effective new drugs. For example, new drug development for atopic diseases is centered on in vitro evaluation, which is an evaluation of cells and tissues, while in vivo evaluation using disease model animals is indispensable at the final stage of development. Yes. In vivo evaluation is performed, for example, by measuring a specific behavior such that a mouse that develops dermatitis scratches the head where itching due to dermatitis occurs on the hind legs. Until now, in vivo evaluation has usually been performed by an expert observing specific behavior such as scratching behavior of a model animal. However, with this method, the subjectivity of the expert is included, so the acquired data is not objective, and time and labor costs are high.

To deal with the above situation, time series data of the distance between the two points of the model animal's head and the tip of the hind leg is acquired, and the number of specific actions such as scratching behavior of the model animal is counted from the data Systems have been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 1 below).
International Publication No. 03/069773 Pamphlet “Nikkei Biobusiness”, Nikkei BP, August 2003, p. 143

  However, with the techniques described in Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 1, although the quantification of the number of specific actions is possible, what kind of movement is the specific action such as the scratching action, that is, the specific action There is a problem that dynamics cannot be measured.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a specific behavior quantification system and a specific behavior quantification method capable of quantifying the dynamics of a specific behavior of a model animal. .

  In order to achieve the above object, a specific behavior quantification system according to the present invention includes an imaging unit that images a model animal, and a distance between predetermined two parts of the model animal based on image data captured by the imaging unit. A distance calculating means for calculating, and a quantifying means for quantifying the dynamics of the specific behavior of the model animal based on a preset condition from the time-series information of the distance calculated by the distance calculating means. And

  In the specific behavior quantification system according to the present invention, the dynamics of specific behavior is quantified based on preset conditions from time-series information of distances between two predetermined parts in a model animal calculated from video data.

  Further, it is preferable that the distance calculation means calculates the positions of the markers attached to the two predetermined parts from the video data, and calculates the distance from the calculated positions of the two markers. According to this configuration, the distance can be calculated more reliably, and the present invention can be implemented more reliably.

  Further, the markers attached to the two predetermined parts of the model animal are color developing substances of different colors, and the distance calculation means calculates the position of the marker from the color and hue data acquired or calculated from the video data. It is desirable to do. According to this configuration, the distance can be calculated more reliably, and the present invention can be implemented more reliably.

  Further, the specific behavior quantification system images a predetermined range including the selected marker based on the position information of one marker selected in advance among the two markers of the model animal calculated by the distance unit. It is desirable to further include an imaging range control means for controlling the imaging means. According to this configuration, it is possible to perform imaging by tracking only the portion related to the specific operation, and the data size of the video data can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to increase the frame rate of the video data and to speed up the information processing of the video data, and to further quantify the dynamics of the specific action.

  In addition, it is desirable that the imaging control unit calculates the movement direction and speed of the marker from the information on the position of the selected marker, and performs the control based on the calculated movement direction and speed. According to this configuration, tracking can be performed with higher accuracy, and the data size can be further reduced.

  Further, it is desirable that the quantification means calculates at least one of the speed or acceleration at which two predetermined parts approach each other from the time series information of the distance, and quantifies the dynamics using the calculated value. This configuration enables more detailed or simpler dynamics quantification.

  Further, the two predetermined parts are the tip of one of the head and limbs of the model animal, and the specific behavior of the model animal is preferably a rubbing motion in which the model animal scratches the head with the tip. . According to this configuration, it becomes possible to quantify the dynamics such as the rubbing behavior in which the atopic mouse scratches the head with the tip of the rear leg.

  In addition, it is desirable that the imaging unit performs imaging at an imaging speed of 100 fps (frame per sec) or more. According to this configuration, for example, even when the specific action is performed ten times or more per second, the dynamics can be quantified more reliably.

  By the way, the present invention can be described as the invention of the specific behavior quantification system as described above, and can also be described as the invention of the specific behavior quantification method as follows. These are substantially the same inventions only in different categories, and have the same operations and effects. The specific behavior quantification method according to the present invention includes an imaging step of imaging a model animal, a distance calculation step of calculating a distance between two predetermined parts of the model animal from the video data captured in the imaging step, And a quantification step of quantifying the dynamics of the specific behavior of the model animal based on a preset condition from the time-series information of the distance calculated in the calculation step. This method does not include medical practice or medical practice for humans.

  According to the present invention, the dynamics of a specific action can be quantified based on a preset condition from the distance between two predetermined parts in a model animal calculated from video data.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a specific behavior quantification system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  A specific behavior quantification system 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a system that measures and quantifies the dynamics of a specific behavior of a model animal. In the present embodiment, the model animal is a mouse that develops dermatitis similar to atopic dermatitis on the head (hereinafter referred to as atopic mouse), and the specific behavior is that dermatitis has developed at the tip of the hind leg. It is a rubbing exercise that scratches the head.

  Moreover, the dynamics of a specific action means how the specific action is made. The quantification of dynamics refers to extracting parameters characterizing a specific action, and specifically corresponds to, for example, measuring the duration of one rubbing exercise and the scratching strength. The information on the dynamics of these specific actions is used as useful information in, for example, atopic new drug development. Although the above example is used in the present embodiment, the present invention may be applied to other examples. As a model animal, in addition to animals such as rabbits and cats, the present invention may be applied to flying animals such as bats or insects. The specific action may be applied to an action such as biting a predetermined part with the lips.

  An atopy mouse 40 used in the present embodiment is schematically shown in FIG. On the atopy mouse 40, a coloring material such as a red fluorescent paint is applied to the head 40a that develops dermatitis to serve as one marker. Further, a yellow coloring material is applied to the tip 40b of one of the rear legs that scratches the head 40a to form the other marker. This marker is attached to measure the distance between the head 40a of the atopic mouse and the tip 40b of the rear leg from the video data.

  FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a specific behavior quantification system 10 according to the present embodiment. The specific behavior quantification system 10 includes a camera 20 and a computer 30. The camera 20 and the computer 30 are connected by a cable or the like so that data can be transmitted and received between them. The camera 20 is an imaging unit that images the atopy mouse 40 from above so that the specific behavior of the atopy mouse 40 can be understood. The camera 20 receives imaging control from the computer 30, and video data captured by the camera 20 is transmitted to the computer 30. The imaging speed of the camera 20 is 100 fps or higher. More preferably, it should be 500 fps or more. The general video imaging speed is about 30 fps in many cases, but the abrading behavior of the atopy mouse 40 is performed about 15 times per second, so the general video imaging speed may not be sufficient.

  The resolution of the camera 20 is preferably about 512 pixels × 512 pixels. The camera 20 includes a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) imager capable of random access in units of pixels and a FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) which is a rewritable LSI (Large Scale Integration). It is preferable that high-speed imaging is possible. In addition, the camera 20 can control only the specific action portion of the atopy mouse 40 under the control of the computer 30. The imaging range is preferably a range of about 128 pixels × 128 pixels. Specific control contents for imaging only the specific action part will be described later.

Specifically, it is preferable to use MmVision (β version) of Photolon Co., Ltd., which satisfies the above requirements and has the following specifications.
Resolution: 1280 x 1024 pixels Data clock: 40 MHz
Internal processing: ALTERA FPGA APEX20K200
External output: MDR26 pin Size: 110 × 50 × 50mm

  The camera 20 is positioned and fixed by the support member 21 so that a lens surface for imaging is directed to the ridge 23 almost directly above the ridge 23 for holding the atopy mouse 40. In addition, the illumination device 22 is also positioned and fixed to the support member 21, and the illumination device 22 illuminates the interior of the eyelid 23 so that the atopy mouse 40 can be imaged at a constant brightness when the camera 20 performs imaging. The cage 23 into which the atopy mouse 40 is inserted is surrounded on all sides by a transparent wall such as plastic so that the atopy mouse 40 cannot be removed from the cage, and has an opening at the top. The color of the bottom surface inside the ridge 23 is an achromatic color such as white so that the marker can be appropriately extracted. In addition, the heel 23 has a predetermined width of about four times the body length of the atopy mouse 40, for example, so that the atopy mouse 40 can freely move to some extent. The focal length and the like of the camera 20 are adjusted so that the entire range of the predetermined area can be imaged.

  The computer 30 includes a distance calculation unit (distance calculation unit) 31, a quantification unit (quantification unit) 32, and an imaging range control unit (imaging range control unit) 33. Each of the above functions is realized by an information processing function such as a CPU, a memory, and a storage provided in the computer 30.

  The distance calculation unit 31 calculates the positions of the two markers attached to the atopy mouse 40 from the video data captured by the camera 20, and the head 40a to which the markers are attached respectively from the calculated position information. The distance from the rear leg tip 40b is calculated. A specific method for calculating the position and distance will be described later. The calculation of the position and distance in the distance calculation unit 31 is repeatedly performed at predetermined time intervals, for example, as image data is acquired by imaging. The calculation of the position and distance is performed using image data constituting the video data. Information on the calculated distance is transmitted to the quantification unit 32, and information on the position of the marker corresponding to the head 40 a is transmitted to the imaging range control unit 33.

  The quantification unit 32 quantifies the dynamics of the rubbing movement of the atopy mouse 40 from the time series information of the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit 31. This quantification is performed based on preset conditions held in the quantification unit 32. Specific conditions and a quantification method will be described later.

  The imaging range control unit 33 controls the imaging range of the camera 20. The control includes control for imaging a predetermined range including a marker corresponding to the head 40a in a predetermined case. Specific contents in the predetermined case will be described later. The predetermined range is preferably a square range in which a specific action can be imaged around the center of gravity of the marker, for example, a range of about 128 pixels × 128 pixels as described above. The control receives information on the position of the marker corresponding to the head 40a transmitted from the distance calculation unit 31, calculates the movement direction and speed of the marker from the information, and is also based on the calculated movement direction and speed. It is preferable to be performed.

  This control is performed in order to capture only the part of the video data related to the specific operation. As a result, it is possible to increase the frame rate of the video data and to speed up the information processing of the video data, and to further quantify the dynamics of the specific action. In addition, the marker of the head 40a is used because when the atopy mouse 40 is imaged from above, the marker of the tip 40b of the rear leg is hidden in the trunk of the atopy mouse 40 as shown in FIG. This is because the marker of the leg tip 40b may not be extracted.

  Hereinafter, processing executed by the specific behavior quantification system 10 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to the sequence diagrams of FIGS. 4 and 5. First, the imaging range control unit 33 of the computer 30 transmits a signal for controlling imaging to the camera 20 (S01). The control signal here is a control signal for imaging the entire cage 23 into which the atopy mouse 40 is inserted. The camera 20 to which the control signal is transmitted receives the control signal (S02), and performs imaging based on the control signal (S03). The camera 20 transmits image data (one frame of video data) acquired by the imaging to the computer 30 (S04). The computer 30 receives the image data (S05).

ここで、ｍａｘ［Ｒ，Ｇ，Ｂ］は、Ｒ、Ｇ及びＢの値のうち最も大きい値をとる関数である。また、ｍｉｎ［Ｒ，Ｇ，Ｂ］は、Ｒ、Ｇ及びＢの値のうち最も小さい値をとる関数である。
引き続いて、距離算出部３１は上記の式で得られた値を用いて、以下の式により各ピクセルの色相Ｈを求める。

各ピクセルのＡ値と色相Ｈの値から、そのピクセルが頭部４０ａのマーカに該当するか、判断する。Ａ値及び色相Ｈの分布図を図６に示す。図６に示すように、赤色の発色物質を付した頭部４０ａのマーカのピクセルでは色相Ｈが０度前後、Ａ値が２０以上となっている。上記のマーカに該当するかの判断は、これらの値に基づき適当に閾値を設定することにより可能である。距離算出部３１は、マーカに該当すると判断された各ピクセルの位置の重心を算出し、重心をそのマーカの位置とする。また、黄色の発色物質を付した後脚の先端部４０ｂのマーカのピクセルでは色相Ｈが５０度前後、Ａ値が２０以上となっており、同様に閾値を設定することにより各ピクセルがマーカに該当するか否かを判断することが可能である。 In the computer 30 that has received the image data, the distance calculation unit 31 extracts the marker attached to the atopy mouse 40 from the image data as follows (S06). First, the distance calculation unit 31 outputs 256-level signal values of R (Red: Red), G (Green: Green), and B (Blue: Blue) of each pixel, which is color data of each pixel of the image data. get. From the acquired R, G, and B signal values of each pixel, the A value of each pixel is obtained by the following equation. The A value is a parameter for effectively extracting the marker by excluding the background to the extent that the pixel color is away from the achromatic color.

Here, max [R, G, B] is a function that takes the largest value among the values of R, G, and B. Also, min [R, G, B] is a function that takes the smallest value among the values of R, G, and B.
Subsequently, the distance calculation unit 31 obtains the hue H of each pixel by the following formula using the value obtained by the above formula.

From the A value and the hue H value of each pixel, it is determined whether the pixel corresponds to the marker of the head 40a. A distribution diagram of the A value and the hue H is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the hue H is around 0 degree and the A value is 20 or more in the marker pixel of the head 40 a to which the red coloring material is attached. The determination as to whether the marker is applicable can be made by appropriately setting a threshold based on these values. The distance calculation unit 31 calculates the centroid of the position of each pixel determined to correspond to the marker, and uses the centroid as the position of the marker. In addition, the marker pixel at the tip 40b of the rear leg to which the yellow coloring material is attached has a hue H of around 50 degrees and an A value of 20 or more. Similarly, by setting a threshold value, each pixel becomes a marker. It is possible to determine whether this is the case.

  Subsequently, the distance calculation unit 31 determines whether or not the marker of the head 40a has been extracted (S07). If the marker of the head 40a cannot be extracted, a signal for controlling imaging is transmitted again from the imaging range control unit 33 to the camera 20 (A, S01 in FIG. 4), and the same flow as above is repeated. It is.

  When the marker of the head 40 a can be extracted (B in FIGS. 4 and 5), the distance calculation unit 31 transmits the position information of the marker of the head 40 a to the imaging range control unit 33. The imaging range control unit 33 determines the imaging range so as to include the marker based on the position information (S11). Specifically, for example, a range of 128 × 128 pixels as described above in which the marker of the head 40a comes to the center is set as the imaging range. The imaging range control unit 33 stores time series information of the marker position of the head 40a, calculates the movement direction and speed of the marker of the head 40a from the time series information, and calculates the calculated movement direction and speed. In consideration of this, it is preferable to determine the imaging range so that the marker of the head 40a is at the center.

  The imaging range control unit 33 transmits a control signal so as to perform imaging within the determined imaging range (S12). The camera 20 to which the control signal is transmitted receives the control signal (S13), and performs imaging based on the control signal (S14). The camera 20 transmits the image data acquired by the imaging to the computer 30 (S15). The computer 30 receives the image data (S16).

  By performing such control, as shown in FIG. 7, the imaging range 20b can be set by tracking so as to always include the marker of the head 40a, and imaging can be performed (in FIG. 7, the broken line indicates the atopy). The movement trajectory of the mouse 40, that is, the trajectory of the marker of the head 40a is shown). Accordingly, it is possible to perform imaging while tracking only the portion related to the rubbing movement, and the data size of the video data can be reduced as compared with the entire imaging area 23a shown in FIG. As a result, it is possible to increase the frame rate of the video data and to speed up the information processing of the video data, and to further quantify the dynamics of the specific action. In addition, if the moving direction and speed are taken into consideration as described above, tracking can be performed with higher accuracy, and the data size can be further reduced.

  Subsequently, in the computer 30 that has received the image data, the distance calculation unit 31 extracts a marker attached to the atopy mouse 40 from the image data by the same method as the process of S06 described above (S17).

  Subsequently, the distance calculation unit 31 determines whether or not the marker of the head 40a has been extracted (S18). When the marker of the head 40a cannot be extracted, a signal for imaging the entire eyelid 23 is again transmitted from the imaging range control unit 33 to the camera 20 (A, S01 in FIG. 4), and the same flow as above Is repeated.

  When the marker of the head 40a can be extracted, the distance calculation unit 31 determines whether or not the marker of the tip 40b of the rear leg has been extracted (S19). When the marker of the rear leg 40b cannot be extracted, the imaging range control unit 33 again determines the imaging range based on the marker of the head 40a with respect to the camera 20 (B and S11 in FIG. 5). The same flow as above is repeated. In addition, as a case where the marker of the tip part 40b of the rear leg cannot be extracted, specifically, the marker part may be hidden behind the body of the atopy mouse 40, or the marker part may be out of the imaging range.

  When the marker of the rear leg tip 40b can be extracted, the distance calculation unit 31 determines the distance between the head 40a and the rear leg tip 40b to which the marker is attached based on the calculated marker position information. Is calculated. (S20). The distance is calculated in units of pixels of image data, for example. Information on the calculated distance is transmitted to and stored in the quantification unit 32. The calculation of the distance in S20 is repeatedly performed (the repeated flow will be described later), and is stored as time series information in the quantification unit 32. The acquired distance data can be expressed, for example, as shown in the graph of FIG. In the graph shown in FIG. 8, the horizontal axis represents time (unit is second), and the vertical axis represents distance (unit is pixel). In the graph of FIG. 8, there is no distance data in the hatched portion, but the distance is calculated such that the marker portion of the rear leg 40b is hidden behind the body of the atopy mouse 40, the marker portion is out of the imaging range, etc. Indicates that it was not possible.

  Subsequently, the quantification unit 32 calculates the speed and acceleration at which the head 40a and the rear leg tip 40b approach from the time series information of the distance between the head 40a and the rear leg tip 40b ( S21). The speed is calculated by obtaining the time change rate of the distance, and the acceleration is calculated by obtaining the time change rate of the speed. It should be noted that the speed and acceleration are respectively positive in the direction in which the distance increases (therefore, the speed and acceleration are actually the speed and acceleration at which the head 40a and the rear leg tip 40b move away). FIG. 9 is a graph showing distance data, speed data, and acceleration data. In FIG. 9, the upper graph shows distance data, the interruption graph shows speed data, and the lower graph shows acceleration data. In the graph of FIG. 9, the horizontal axis is time (unit is second), and the data plot interval is 1/500 second which is the same as the imaging speed.

  Subsequently, the quantification unit 32 performs quantification of the dynamics of the rubbing motion of the atopic mouse based on the calculated value (S22). After quantification, the imaging range control unit 33 again determines the imaging range based on the marker on the head 40a for the camera 20 (B and S11 in FIG. 5), and the same flow as above is repeated. . Note that this quantification need not always be performed at this timing, and may be performed in a state where a certain amount of distance data, velocity data, and acceleration data is accumulated. Alternatively, all of these data may be collected once and performed at a timing different from imaging and distance calculation.

Specifically, the quantification is performed as follows. An example of quantifying the number of times of rubbing movement and time will be described. First, a portion where the rubbing motion is performed is specified from the derived value. The rubbing movement is performed, for example, in a portion indicated by a range 90 surrounded by a broken line in the range of ΔT _{1 on} the time axis in the distance graph of FIG. In the range of [Delta] T _1, first the relatively large distance between the tip portion 40b of the head portion 40a and rear legs, a state where the respective portions 40a, 40b are separated from each other. Thereafter, in the area 90, the distance between the head 40a and the tip 40b of the rear leg becomes relatively small, and this state is maintained for a certain time. Thereafter, the head 40a and the rear leg tip 40b are separated from each other. As described above, when the distance between the head portion 40a and the front end portion 40b of the rear leg is kept small for a certain period of time, the atopy mouse performs a rubbing motion (from the actual video of the atopy mouse). Can also be confirmed).

On the other hand, the rubbing motion is not performed in the range of ΔT _{2 on} the time axis in the distance graph of FIG. In the range of [Delta] T _2, there is a portion where the distance between the leading end portion 40b of the head portion 40a and rear legs is relatively small, not the state continues, simply without scratching hind The tip 40b is simply moved closer to the head 40a.

The above-described features can be read from the distance data. However, if the acceleration data is used, the dynamics of the rubbing motion can be quantified more in detail and more easily than when the distance data is used. As shown in the acceleration graph of FIG. 9, ΔT _1, which is a time range of a series of actions of the atopic mouse, coincides with a range between two times t _min11 and t _{min12 at which} the acceleration takes a minimum value. This is because the acceleration is minimized when the head 40a is farthest from the tip 40b of the rear leg.

Further, two times t _max11 and t _{max12 at} which the acceleration takes a maximum value exist in the portion corresponding to the range 90 where the rubbing motion is performed within the range of ΔT _{1 in} the acceleration graph. Δt ₁ , which is a range between the two times t _max11 and t _max12 , corresponds to the range 90. This is because the distance between the head 40a and the tip 40b of the rear leg is kept substantially constant during the rubbing action, and the speed at that time becomes almost zero (in the speed graph of FIG. 9). This is because there is a time zone (corresponding to the range 91), and the acceleration temporarily becomes a value around zero in that time zone. This also indicates that frictional resistance is active during this time period.

On the other hand, in the range of ΔT _{2 in} the acceleration graph in which no rubbing motion is performed, there is no uplifted feature, so there is only one time for taking the maximum value of acceleration. In the above description, the maximum value and the minimum value in the graph can be derived by comparing with neighboring values.

  Therefore, in the quantification part 32, if the above-mentioned features are provided in advance as a reference for quantifying the number of rubbing movements, it is possible to quantify. As the standard, for example, a threshold value for a minimum value and a threshold value for a maximum value are appropriately determined in advance, and in an acceleration graph, a minimum value that is lower than a predetermined threshold value for a minimum value is taken. It is possible to use whether there are two points at which the maximum point exceeding the threshold value for the maximum value is present.

_Further , if Δt ₁ , which is a range between t _max11 and t _{max12, is} a time during which one rubbing motion is performed, the time during which the rubbing motion is performed is obtained by adding up the time between times at which the maximum points are taken. Can be quantified.

Further, the scratch strength N (t) at the time t (t _max11 ≦ t ≦ t _max12 ) during the rubbing motion can be obtained by the following equation.
N (t) = m (a (t _max11 ) −a (t)) / μ
Here, a (t) represents the acceleration at time t, m represents the mass of the rear leg tip 40b, and μ represents the dynamic friction coefficient between the head 40a and the rear leg tip 40b. In addition, the average scratch strength can be obtained from the scratch strength, and the quality of the rubbing motion can be quantified. Further, the scratch strength outside the range between t _max11 and t _max12 can be obtained in the same manner as described above.

  If the data of the dynamics of the specific action quantified in this way is displayed on a monitor provided in the computer 30, the user can confirm the contents of the dynamics of the specific action.

  As described above, according to the specific behavior quantification system 10 in the present embodiment, when the distance between two parts of the head 40a and the rear leg tip 40b in the atopy mouse 40 calculated from the video data is obtained. By using the series information, the dynamics of a specific action can be quantified. Note that the dynamics quantification as described above is impossible with a system that simply counts the number of times below the threshold of the distance between two parts, and is an effect unique to this embodiment.

  Further, if the marker made of a coloring material is attached to the head 40a and the tip 40b of the rear leg as in this embodiment, and the position of the marker is calculated, the distance between the parts can be calculated more reliably. . Further, depending on the specific action, the marker may be attached to another place other than the above. For example, in the present embodiment, one marker is the tip 40b of one rear leg, but may be another tip of one of the extremities.

  In addition, if the imaging is performed by tracking only the portion related to the specific operation as in the present embodiment, the data size of the video data can be reduced as described above, and the information processing speed can be increased. become. However, such tracking is not necessarily required when an ultra-high-speed processing apparatus or the like can be used or when a specific operation is performed at a substantially constant location.

  Further, as in the present embodiment, it is preferable that the imaging by the camera 20 is performed at an imaging speed of 100 fps or more, more preferably 500 fps or more. Since the specific behavior of the model animal, including the rubbing behavior of the atopy mouse 40 in this embodiment, may be performed about ten times or several times per second, about 30 fps, which is a general video imaging speed. This is because shooting with a camera may not be able to cope sufficiently.

  For example, a graph of distance data calculated from data imaged at a speed of 100 fps in the upper part of FIG. 10, and a graph of distance data calculated from data imaged at a speed of 30 fps in the lower part of FIG. Each is shown. The data shown in the upper part and the lower part of FIG. As particularly noticeable in the hatched portion in FIG. 10, the image captured at a speed of 30 fps does not sufficiently reflect the specific behavior as compared with the image captured at a speed of 100 fps. If imaging at an imaging speed of about 500 fps can be performed as in the present embodiment, the distance based on the video data can be calculated, and dynamics can be more reliably quantified.

  Further, if the image data constituting the video data is analyzed every time it is imaged as in this embodiment, the dynamics of the specific action in real time can be quantified. However, quantification is not necessarily performed in real time. For example, only video data may be acquired, and then distance calculation and dynamics quantification may be separately performed. Alternatively, imaging and distance calculation may be performed at the same timing, distance time-series data may be accumulated, and subsequent processing may be performed separately.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the specific action quantification system in embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed typically the atopy mouse in embodiment. It is the figure which showed typically the atopy mouse in embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows the process performed by the specific action quantification system in embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the process performed by the specific action quantification system in embodiment of this invention. It is a scatter diagram of the hue and A value of each pixel. It is the figure which showed typically the imaging range at the time of tracking. It is a graph of the distance between a head and the front-end | tip part of a back leg. It is a graph of the distance between a head and the front-end | tip part of a rear leg, the rate of change of the distance (speed which parts approach), and the rate of change of speed (acceleration which parts approach). It is a graph of the distance between the head and the front-end | tip part of a back leg based on the video data imaged with each different imaging speed.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Specific behavior quantification system, 20 ... Camera, 21 ... Supporting member, 22 ... Illumination equipment, 23 ... 檻, 30 ... Computer, 31 ... Distance calculation part, 32 ... Quantification part, 33 ... Imaging range control part, 40 ... atopy mouse, 40a ... head, 40b ... tip of rear leg.

Claims (9)

Imaging means for imaging a model animal;
Distance calculating means for calculating a distance between two predetermined parts of the model animal from video data imaged by the imaging means;
Quantifying means for quantifying the dynamics of the specific behavior of the model animal based on a preset condition from the time series information of the distance calculated by the distance calculating means;
A specific behavior quantification system.   The distance calculation unit calculates a position of a marker attached to the two predetermined parts from the video data, and calculates the distance from the calculated position of the two markers. The specific behavior quantification system according to 1. The markers attached to the two predetermined parts of the model animal are color developing substances of different colors,
The distance calculation means calculates the position of the marker from color and hue data acquired or calculated from the video data.
The specific behavior quantification system according to claim 2.   Based on the information of the position of one marker selected in advance among the two markers of the model animal calculated by the distance means, the imaging means is configured to image a predetermined range including the selected marker. The specific action quantification system according to claim 2, further comprising imaging range control means for controlling.   The imaging control unit calculates a moving direction and speed of the marker from information on the position of the selected marker, and performs the control based on the calculated moving direction and speed. 4. The specific behavior quantification system according to 4.   The quantifying means calculates at least one of speeds or accelerations at which the predetermined two parts approach each other from the time series information of the distance, and quantifies the dynamics using the calculated value. The specific behavior quantification system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The predetermined two parts are the tip of one of the head and limbs of the model animal,
The specific behavior quantification system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the specific behavior of the model animal is a rubbing motion in which the model animal scratches the head with the tip portion.   The specific action quantification system according to claim 1, wherein the imaging unit performs imaging at an imaging speed of 100 fps or more. An imaging step of imaging a model animal;
A distance calculating step of calculating a distance between two predetermined parts of the model animal from the video data imaged in the imaging step;
From the time series information of the distance calculated in the distance calculating step, based on a preset condition, a quantifying step for quantifying the dynamics of the specific behavior of the model animal,
Specific behavior quantification method including

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