Zone-wise distance and entry analytics
Global distance and speed plus zone path, ratios, dwell, zone speed, and entries for rich home-cage behavioral quantification.
HCTSpontaneous5 min read
Home Cage Testing
Home Cage Testing (HCT): Principles & Protocol
Overview
Home Cage Testing (HCT) captures natural spontaneous behavior, physiology, and homeostasis with minimal human interference. Animals live in instrumented cages (IR beams, wheels, food/water sensors, cameras, etc.) for continuous long-term recording of activity, exploration, feeding/drinking, sociality, nesting, sleep–wake, and stereotypy.
Uses include fine natural phenotyping, low-stress psychiatric models, circadian/sleep research, chronic drug or environment effects, welfare monitoring, and more naturalistic PK/toxicology readouts.
Methods
- 1Record spontaneous activity in the familiar home cage—usually one mouse per cage—to avoid interference and reflect naturalistic daily behavior with continuous video.
Software capabilities
Analysis parameters
| Parameter | Description | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| sample_name | Sample name | — |
| group_label | Group label | — |
| total_distance | Total distance | cm |
| average_speed | Average speed | cm/s |
| xxx_distance | Distance in a region | cm |
| xxx_distance_ratio | Region distance ratio | % |
| xxx_average_speed | Average speed in a region | cm/s |
| xxx_time | Time in a region | s |
| xxx_time_ratio | Region time ratio | % |
| xxx_number_of_entries | Entries into a region | count |
| outside_distance | Distance outside regions | cm |
| outside_distance_ratio | Outside distance ratio | % |
| outside_time | Time outside regions | s |
| outside_time_ratio | Outside time ratio | % |