# Measuring behavior across scales

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1712.05784 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1712.05784/

## Key facts

- Cited by 10 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 15 Dec 2017.

## Built on by (most cited first, 10 of 10)

- [Representation learning for neural population activity with Neural Data Transformers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.01210/) (2021)
- [3D-MuPPET: 3D Multi-Pigeon Pose Estimation and Tracking](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.15316/) (2023)
- [Exploring Behavior-Relevant and Disentangled Neural Dynamics with Generative Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.09614/) (2024)
- [Open-Source Tools for Behavioral Video Analysis: Setup, Methods, and Development](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.02842/) (2022)
- [Fast spline detection in high density microscopy data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.04460/) (2023)
- [CNN-Based Action Recognition and Pose Estimation for Classifying Animal Behavior from Videos: A Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.06187/) (2023)
- [Ada-VSR: Adaptive Video Super-Resolution with Meta-Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.02832/) (2021)
- [Neural timescales from a computational perspective](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.02684/) (2024)
- [Inferring Local Structure from Pairwise Correlations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.04386/) (2023)
- [Sparse-View Interpretable 3D Animal Behavior Representations for Neural Encoding and Decoding](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.36217/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The need for high-throughput, precise, and meaningful methods for measuring behavior has been amplified by our recent successes in measuring and manipulating neural circuitry. The largest challenges associated with moving in this direction, however, are not technical but are instead conceptual: what numbers should one put on the movements an animal is performing (or not performing)? In this review, I will describe how theoretical and data analytical ideas are interfacing with recently-developed computational and experimental methodologies to answer these questions across a variety of contexts, length scales, and time scales. I will attempt to highlight commonalities between approaches and areas where further advances are necessary to place behavior on the same quantitative footing as other scientific fields.