ABSTRACT
Objective To develop a computer-aided-controlling and analysis system for light/dark box in mice and rats with a high degree of automation and intelligence.Methods Video recording and image processing were applied to develop the computer-aided-controlling and image analysis system for light/dark box test in mice and rats. The artificial environment was developed. The stability and reliability of the system was validated by male rats. Results The percentage of time spent in the lit chamber in total time was above 79.40%. The data showed that the artificial environment was successful. When the threshold was set at 18 cm/s, the data showed a high correlation coefficient of movement time between the computer and manual recordings(r > 0.99). Classical indexes including transition and time spent in both the lit and dark chambers also showed a high correlation. The model group showed a significantly decrease in the transitions and time spent in the lit chamber compared with the control group, indicating a high stability and reliability of the light/dark box test. Conclusions A stable and highly intelligent computer-aided-controlling and image analysis system for light/dark box test of mice and rats has been developed,and it could be used for pathological mechanism studies of anxiolytics.