Knowledge Base

Create an Experiment

For details, see Chapter 1 of this manual, or in EthoVision XT press F1 and see Setup an Experiment in the EthoVision XT Help.

If you use PhenoTyper, you can create an experiment from a PhenoTyper template. Choose File > New from Template and in the guided wizard, from the Arena template list, choose PhenoTyper (for one cage) or PhenoTyper quad (for two to four cages).

Experiment Settings

Choose Setup > Experiment Settings.

General Settings

• Set Video Source to Live Tracking and select the camera image.
• Choose the Tracked Features that apply to your experiment.

Use of Trial Control Hardware

1. Under Trial Control Hardware, select Use of Trial Control Hardware.
2. Click Settings and choose Noldus USB-IO box.
3. In the window that appears, locate the TTL port of the USB-IO box that is connected to the LED controller, and from the Device type list choose Custom Hardware. Under Device ID give this device a unique name (for example LED controller 1, or Pulser if you use the Prizmatix Pulser/PulserPlus).
4. Repeat the previous step if you have more LED controllers or Pulsers.

Important: Make sure that Custom Hardware is selected in the Device Configuration window, not TTL Tester or others.

Arena Settings

Choose Setup > Arena Settings > Open Arena Settings 1.

Arena-Hardware Mapping

1. Make sure that you have drawn all the arenas.
2. At the bottom of the Arena Settings window, click the Arena-Hardware Mapping button.
3. In the Arena-Hardware Mapping window, click Add device one or more times depending on how many physical devices (LED controllers or Pulsers) are connected.
4. Assign the devices to the arenas:
   • For setups with one cage (and one device), that is automatically assigned to Arena 1.
   • For setups with multiple cages (and devices), assign each device to the corresponding arena.
5. For each row, rename the Device name (for example, rename Device A to LED controller 1 or Pulser 1).

Tip: Give devices unique names. That is also handy when analyzing the data and events of specific devices.

To Test the LEDs

Note: This procedure is only valid for the Basic setup (without Pulser).

1. In the Arena-Hardware Mapping window, click the row that corresponds to the device you want to test and click the Test button.
2. Choose Output 1 High and click Test. Check that the LED is activated.
3. Choose Output 1 Low and click Test. Check that the LED is deactivated.

Trial Control Settings

In the Trial Control Settings you can program activation and deactivation of the LED controller during the trial. Choose Setup > Trial Control Settings.

Below is a simple example showing how to switch on a LED one minute after the start of the trial, keep the LED active for one second, and then switch it off.

To Switch On the LED

1. Under Actions, click the button next to Custom Hardware.
2. From the Custom Hardware list select the LED controller device (this is the name given under Device name in the Arena-Hardware Mapping window).
3. From the Action to perform list select Output 1 High (or Output 2 High if you connected the USB-IO box to the LED controller using the cable with the red RCA connector).
4. Optional: Rename the Action name (for example, rename Hardware act (1) to Start Pulse).
5. Click OK and insert the new Action box in the Trial Control sequence, usually after a condition.

Note: With this Trial Control procedure, the stimulus does not stop unless you insert another Action box that specifies Output 1 Low (see below).

To Switch Off the LED After Some Time

1. Follow the instructions in the previous section to program activation of the pulse.
2. Under Conditions, click the button next to Time. Select After a time of and enter the duration of the pulse (minimum possible: 0.1 s). Insert the Condition box immediately after the Action box.
3. Under Actions, click the button next to Custom Hardware.
4. From the Custom Hardware list select the LED controller device (this is the name given under Device name in the Arena-Hardware Mapping window).
5. From the Action to perform list select Output 1 Low (or Output 2 Low if you connected the USB-IO box to the LED controller using the cable with the red connector).
6. Optional: Rename the Action name (for example, from Hardware act (2) to Pulse Off).
7. Click OK and insert the new Action box after the second Time Condition box.

The sequence can be read as follows: one minute after the start of tracking (first box), activate the LED controller (second box), then wait one second (third box) and deactivate the LED controller (fourth box).

To Activate the LED When the Animal Is in a Zone

It is often required to activate the LED multiple times, for example, every time the subject enters a trigger zone, or every time the subject presses a lever. In such situations you need to create a Subrule that can be repeated indefinitely. The Subrule contains the following instructions:

• Check that the subject is in the zone (or the lever is pressed) (a). In this example the condition is based on Current Duration, that is, it becomes true when the subject is found in the zone for a specific time.
• When the previous condition is met, turn the LED on (b).
• Check that the subject is out of the zone (or presses another lever/performs an action to be linked to the end of stimulation) (c).
• When condition (c) becomes true, the Action box switches off the LED (d). Next, the Subrule starts again with condition (a) being evaluated. The Reference box specifies that the Subrule is repeated indefinitely until the end of the trial.

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