A "bottom-counting" video system for measuring cocaine-induced behaviors in Drosophila

Methods Enzymol. 2005:393:841-51. doi: 10.1016/S0076-6879(05)93044-9.

Abstract

Cocaine exposure elicits a set of stereotypic behaviors in Drosophila that are strikingly similar to the cocaine-induced behaviors observed in vertebrates. This provides a valuable model for the study of cocaine abuse and has led to the discovery of a connection between the cocaine response pathway and the circadian system. This article describes a simplified assessment of cocaine-induced behavior combined with an image acquisition system, which allows the assay to be semiautomated. With this new system, cocaine response can be evaluated in a fraction of the time required by the previous assay, and subjectivity in scoring is reduced dramatically.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Behavior, Animal / drug effects*
  • Cocaine / pharmacology*
  • Drosophila Proteins
  • Drosophila melanogaster
  • Nuclear Proteins / deficiency
  • Period Circadian Proteins
  • Stereotyped Behavior / drug effects*
  • Video Recording / methods*

Substances

  • Drosophila Proteins
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • PER protein, Drosophila
  • Period Circadian Proteins
  • Cocaine