In our recent study, we extend the application of an innovative methodology for analyzing the spatial distribution of behavior, employing weighted Voronoi diagrams 📊. This approach provides a detailed mapping of how experimental subjects navigate and utilize different areas within a defined space, helping to identify Regions of Behavioral Relevance 🔍.
Our technique involves partitioning the space into a grid, designating specific generator points, and assigning weights based on the duration of time the subject spends in each region ⏱️. By analyzing data from multiple experimental sessions, we examined how subjects’ movements and spatial patterns varied under different conditions—ranging from food and water deprivation to combined deprivation and no deprivation scenarios 🌐.
The results revealed distinct spatial patterns closely tied to the varying conditions, showcasing the efficacy of weighted Voronoi diagrams in capturing and representing these Regions of Behavioral Relevance🧩. This method enabled us to examine how behavioral patterns evolve in response to different Motivational Operations 🔄.
Our findings suggest that this tool offers significant potential for dynamically studying spatial behaviors in diverse experimental settings, providing researchers with a powerful means to explore the complexities of behavior in space: