Knowledge Base

Principle of Operation

Fear Conditioning

In a typical Fear Conditioning paradigm, single-frequency sounds are delivered as a neutral or conditioned stimulus (CS). Experimental procedures where the CS is administered are usually named Cued Fear Conditioning. Electric current from the grid floor is delivered as the naturally aversive, or unconditioned stimulus (US).

This chapter describes how you can use EthoVision XT with the Ugo Basile Fear Conditioning System NG-series 46000, to carry out fear conditioning experiments.

If you use a version of EthoVision XT earlier than 17.5, please refer to the EthoVision XT Application Manual for that version.

For an overview of Fear Conditioning, and how fear is measured in EthoVision XT, see the white paper which you can download from our web site.

Controlling the FCS Stimuli from EthoVision XT

1. Connect the EthoVision XT computer to the Ugo Basile Fear Conditioning System (FCS). For details, see Physical Setup.
2. In EthoVision XT, create your experiment and declare the devices that you are going to use. Next, program the activation of the devices in the Trial Control Settings. For details, see The Fear Conditioning Experiment in EthoVision XT. If you have multiple FCS cubicles, you can control the stimuli in each cubicle independently.
3. Carry out data acquisition. See Acquire the Data.

Experiment Devices and Parameters

You can specify the devices and their parameters directly in EthoVision XT. This also makes it easier to test a device.

• Shock with adjustable current intensity
• Tone with adjustable frequency and volume
• White Noise with adjustable volume
• Visible (White) Light with adjustable light intensity
• IR Light with adjustable light intensity
• Fan which can be switched on and off

You can also have EthoVision XT check if the door of the FCS cubicle is open or closed.

Note: If you work with EthoVision XT 16 or earlier, you must connect the EthoVision XT computer to the Ugo Basile Touchscreen Controller 40500-001. Please refer to the EthoVision XT Application Manual for that version.

Analysis of Freezing

The detection of freezing can be automated and based on analysis of the variable Activity in EthoVision XT. For details, see Activity and Activity State in the EthoVision XT Help, under Dependent Variables in Detail.

Changes Relative to Previous EthoVision XT Versions

With EthoVision XT 17.5 and later versions you can control the Ugo Basile FCS without connecting the touchscreen controller. For new systems, the cabling is largely reduced and the system is easier to troubleshoot.

• Cable connections are simpler — from the PC directly to the FCS cubicles through USB.
• When you create an EthoVision XT experiment, the devices of the Ugo Basile FCS are automatically added to the experiment.
• In the Trial Control Settings, you can easily recognize the names of the devices (e.g. Tone) instead of for example Line 1, as occurred in previous EthoVision XT versions.
• You can test the devices directly in the Trial Control Settings, before carrying out the actual tests.
• With FCS Model 46110-NL and Serial Number higher than 0676U24, you can control the IR light inside the cubicle directly from the software. You no longer need additional hardware. If you encounter problems, contact Noldus Support.

If You Have the "Old" FCS Setup

FCS Controlled Through the Noldus USB-IO Box

Your FCS setup is connected to EthoVision XT through the Noldus USB-IO box, and you have upgraded EthoVision XT to version 17.5 or later. In this case you can keep using the existing connections. For instructions, see the EthoVision XT 17.0 Application Manual, which you can find on the downloads page of my.noldus.com.

If you purchased an upgrade kit for your setup, see the Upgrade Your FCS System section.

FCS with Manual IR Light Controller

Your FCS setup is equipped with an IR light box placed on top of the conditioning cage and with the IR light box manual controller. You can keep using this configuration. However, you cannot control the IR light intensity from the software.

For General Information

EthoVision XT Help

For more details, choose Help > Help Topics or press F1 in the software.

Other Documentation

On the Windows Apps screen, choose Noldus > EthoVision XT 18 Other Documentation. See in particular:

• For information on programming trial control, conditioning routines, actions and conditions, and the USB-IO box: the EthoVision XT 18 - Trial and Hardware Control - Reference Manual.
• For information on conditioning tests and examples: see other chapters in this manual.

You can find these and other manuals on the Noldus website at my.noldus.com. Note that you need to log in first to access the downloads page.

About the Ugo Basile Fear Conditioning System

This system comes with the instruction manual Fear Conditioning Systems - NG Series 46000, in PDF format.

Technical Support

If you encounter problems, browse to my.noldus.com and contact the help desk.

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