Sponsor: Leah Krubitzer, Ph.D. Psychology Reaching and grasping is the primary means rodents, non-human primates, and humans interact with the world, specifically with food items. Reaching and grasping is a targeted sensory- dependent movement pattern that is well studied in rodents and non-human primates, but a detailed assessment of this behavior is lacking in non-eutherian animal models. Short-tailed opossums (Mondelphis domestica) are adept at single-arm reaching and grasping, but the reason for their success remains unknown. Here we characterize the kinematics of reaching and grasping while we vary available sensory input. We sequentially removed somatosensory and olfactory input before testing the animals' ability to reach and grasp. To quantify data, we used video recording analysis and pose estimation with DeepLabCut, an algorithm that extracts pose kinematics in three dimensions before and after the reaching and grasping event. Preliminary data suggests that reaching success rate covaries with reach speed, such that slower reaches are more successful. Somatosensory and olfactory deprivation impairs the success rate and the kinematic characteristics of the movements. These data will inform future studies of the impact of sensory deprivation on the kinematic movements of non-eutherian animals, and will expand our understanding of how different sensory systems contribute to complex ethologically relevant behaviors. Analyzing the Effects of COVID-19 on Transit Ridership: A Multi-Year Perspective

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