Knowledge Base

Acquire the Data

Things to Check First

Before starting one or more trials, it is useful to do some checks.

Hardware

• Check that all devices are properly connected according to the schemes in this manual.
• Check that all devices are powered up.
• Insert the conditioning cage in the cubicle as in the figure below. The cage fits between the two clear support angles attached to the IR light box.

Test the Devices in EthoVision XT

Choose Setup > Arena Settings. Open the Arena Settings you want to use. Click the Arena – Hardware Mapping button and test the devices.

Run a Test Trial

To check that the system works correctly, run a test trial with a basic Trial Control settings profile that contains actions and conditions.

After data acquisition, in the Analysis profile under Hardware choose Hardware command and define the event you want to view, for example Device A, Output 1 High (=Light on).

Choose Analysis > Results > Integrated Visualization and check whether the event occurred at the expected time.

Acquire Data

In EthoVision XT, choose Acquisition > Open Acquisition. Follow the general procedure described in the EthoVision XT Help. Browse to Acquire Data > Acquire one trial.

Analyze the Data

Basic Steps

1. Define the intervals you want to analyze. Choose Analysis > Data Profile > New. See Analyze Intervals below. If you want to calculate statistics for the whole duration of your trials, you can skip this step.
2. Choose Analysis > Analysis Profile > New. Choose the variables you want to analyze. For example, velocity, time in zone, or activity. See Dependent Variables below.
3. Choose Analysis > Results > Statistics and Charts to calculate statistics, or Integrated Visualization to view the video and the variable plotted against time.

Analyze Events

Add the following variables, if not already listed in the Analysis profile:

• Activity state to analyze freezing events. For more information about Activity and Activity state, and how to set the thresholds to detect freezing, see the EthoVision XT Help.
• Distance moved, and Movement to quantify locomotory behavior.
• Hardware command especially to visualize events like Light On, Shock On, etc. together with the video and the tracks (Analysis > Results > Integrated Visualization).
• Trial Control Event to visualize for example when a condition becomes true. Use this especially for testing purposes.

Analyze Intervals

Define the Intervals with the Nesting Function

By default, the whole trial timeline is selected for analysis. However, you may want to select part of the timeline, for example to analyze the Activity variable only when the white light was on. To do so, in the Data profile define an interval based on the event "White Light On".

1. Choose Analysis > Data Profile > New.
2. Under Nesting, click the option corresponding to the type of interval you want.
3. Specify the interval and place the Nest box between the Start and Results box.

Which Options Shall I Choose?

To analyze the behavior of the subject when, for example, the white light was on, choose Trial Control State. In the window that appears, select the action that marks the start of the interval (e.g., Light On - becomes active), and the action that marks the end of the interval (Light Off - becomes active).

If you want to analyze a complex interval, from A to B, where A and B are events of different type, for example, behavior and activation of a stimulus, choose Free interval.

For example, select the time from the end of the shock (Shock Off - becomes active) and the first instance of freezing (detected using Activity or Activity state).

You can also combine events with time. For example, select the 30 seconds interval immediately after the end of the Shock. From Trial Control - Action: Shock Off - becomes active to Time - Elapsed time: 30 s after start event.

Visualize the Intervals

Once you have defined the intervals for analysis, it is always a good idea to plot the data and check that the intervals defined in the previous steps are correct.

1. Choose Analysis > Results > Plot Integrated Data.
2. The data selected within the intervals is shown in full colors while the data outside the intervals is shown in dimmed colors. Check that the intervals defined correspond to the time segments that you want to analyze.

If the intervals are defined correctly, proceed with the statistics calculation.

Calculate the Statistics

Choose Analysis > Results > Calculate Statistics and click the Calculate button. The results table shows the statistics of the dependent variables defined in the Analysis profile, within the intervals defined in the Data profile.

For More Information

• For details about the analysis variables, see Dependent Variables in Detail in the EthoVision XT Help (F1).
• For more examples about analyzing intervals, see Analyze Track Segments in the EthoVision XT Help (F1).
• For more examples of control of hardware devices and PhenoTyper, see the chapter Conditioning Tests in this manual.

Technical Specifications

Infrared Top Light and Controller

For the technical specifications of the Fear Conditioning system, see the Instruction Manual FCS 46000.pdf that comes with that system.

Noldus Device Numbers

• Top light: UBIRT-001x
• Controller: UBIRC-001x

Voltage

24V (standard Noldus power supply)

Current Consumption

On max LED intensity: 220mA

Light Wavelength

940nm

Incorporated Camera

1280 x 1024 pixels at max 60 fps (30 fps is recommended)

Dimensions (L x W x H)

• Top light: 28.6 x 29.3 x 8.5 cm (11 17/64" x 11 17/32" x 3 11/32")
• Controller: 8.0 x 4.0 x 4.2 cm (3 5/32" x 1 37/64" x 1 21/32")

Weight

• Top light: 860 g (30.3 oz)
• Controller: 50 g (1.76 oz)

Power Adapter

• Type number: TRH70A240-01E13VI
• Input: 100–240V, 1.5 A
• Output: 24V, 3.0 A

Tests

• Introduction
• Physical Setup
• A Conditioning Test in EthoVision XT
• Data Analysis

Source: EthoVision XT 18 - Application Manual, Noldus Information Technology