Performance and Reliability

The HVS Image system is designed to give you reliable, objective versions of the traditional Barnes Maze measures. Unlike other systems it also gives you a wide range of additional measures that give you robust analysis of spatial learning and memory. This allows you to distinguish between these and other strategies that may be used to find the escape box, giving you deeper insights.

Motivation vs lack of stress

Avoid the issue of subjects being insufficiently motivated to complete the task by choosing from a range of aversive stimuli and choosing whether the task ends with the subject entering or simply visiting the target hole.

Traditionally a bright light has been used as a weak aversive stimulus, which is escaped by entering the escape box at the target hole. The weak aversive stimulus is intended to avoid stress-induced confounds but can result in some subjects preferring to continue to explore rather than enter the escape box, leading to criticism of the Barnes maze.

The HVS Image system allows you to use any type of USB or electrically powered aversive stimulus, with the option for it to stop immediately the subject approaches the target hole, giving it incentive to find the hole even if it finds the sound unpleasant but insufficiently stressful to stop exploring.

Should you upgrade?

The current system has advanced significantly from the earlier versions, originally developed for Carol Barnes using earlier generation technology, both in tracking and in analysis.

The subject is tracked consistently in sharp focus with droppings and shadowy holes ignored by the tracker, so no image blurring or special setup is needed.

Hole approaches are counted automatically so mouse clicks for these are no longer required.

A wide range of analyses indicating spatial learning and memory and other behaviours is now provided, including those typically used in Barnes maze such as the number of pokes (errors) in each hole and the latency and path length to reach the target hole.

To find out more, call us on +1-650-318-3885 or +44-(0)843 289 9119 or contact us here.