Tracking and Analysis | Water Maze Pools | Atlantis Platforms | Regular Platforms | Help and Advice
HVS Image is widely recognized as definitive for Morris Water Maze studies. The methods and analyses we’ve developed over the years to meet scientists’ needs, and our long experience in the field, mean you can rely not just on our software and equipment, but also on our support with any aspect of your setup, for smooth running experiments and accurate, insightful results.
Should you upgrade from an earlier HVS Image System?
Specialized analyses
HVS Image provides you with the fullest set of meaningful measures and analyses for water maze, distinguishing behaviors that differ between different subjects or trials, and between the same subject during different parts of individual trials. For example these allow the important distinction between true spatial learning and memory and use of other strategies used to find the hidden platform location, and between behavior early vs later in a trial, notably in a probe trial where the subject may swim directly to the learned platform location and then search elsewhere. See analyses.
Crucially you can use any of the tests, measures and analyses at any time, whether immediately after trials or even years later if you realize there may be something new to gain from re-analyzing your old data in different ways, as you are not dependent on choices made before data collection; all the data and details that could be needed in any analyses you later choose to do are automatically acquired during trials.
Robust tracking
Further advances in tracking robustness allow you to track even more reliably both in water maze and in other behavioral tasks you may want to run, essential for accurate data and meaningful results.
This also allows you to automate what happens when the subject reaches the platform or target area (if desired). For example you may have the trial end immediately the platform is reached or after the subject has remained on it for a certain duration, or if using the Atlantis platform you may have the platform rise as soon as the subject reaches or crosses the target location or only if the subject remains at the target location for your chosen time.
You can also set a time for the subject to remain on the platform at the end of a trial, in order to have this count down on screen to provide a consistent time for each subject to spend accustoming themselves to the position.
In a probe trial the trial will continue for the separately set maximum trial duration, ignoring any crossing of the learned platform location, though this position will be shown on your path plots and used in your analyses.
Designed around you and your lab
Software and equipment is also built with practicalities in mind. For example, your on screen display makes it clear when tracking is in progress and after one trial in a series will show you essential details for the next, at a size you can read from across the lab (you can adjust the size to suit you); we provide a 10 meter / 30 foot boosted extension cable to reach from your tracking computer to your camera, or longer if required; we provide your HVS Image LabCams with lenses suited to your ceiling to water surface distance, to ensure you get the best sized image, and appropriate filters for your experimental setup.
Software and equipment are designed to allow you to get on efficiently and focus on your science. Even new users can be tracking within minutes of receiving their system. Platform positions can be calibrated by clicking desired positions on screen or by defining them numerically. Series of trials can be automated and trials within a series can be re-run if needed. Data is automatically recorded and includes everything needed for any analysis you later choose to use.
Importantly you can view your analysis immediately after a trial on your tracking computer, so you can readily check any detail you need to at the time, as well as on any additional computers you wish to use to carry out your analysis in more convenient locations later (whether PC or Mac). Results export to Excel and other packages.
Designed for publication
Most crucially the HVS Image systems enable you to find significant results where other systems or methods may miss them, by bringing you reliable, accurate data and an unparalleled range of relevant analyses with definable parameters.
In addition you will have publication quality graphics including photographs of the actual trial, taken at your chosen frame rate; heat maps summarizing behavior for your selected set of trials; path plots detailing not just the path taken from start to end, but also your calibrated platform positions with the target position distinguished, the defined close encounter area(s), the initial heading angle, cone or corridor test visualization if selected, the defined thigmotaxis band, four quadrants and three radial zones, all carefully coded to be readable in black and white. Path plots for individual and multiple trials are full screen and can be saved in a single click for use in publications and presentations, for easy comparison of trials and demonstration of findings.
Live Support
If you need help, whether setting up or introducing a new user to the system later on, we’ll be pleased to assist via email, telephone or remote access to your computer. Clicking your Support button allows us to connect remotely and either control or observe your tracking computer. We can work with you live to show you what to do, check the cause of any issue you experience and see right into your lab using the tracking system’s own camera. This means we can see exactly what you see and help with general lab set-up as well as use of the system itself.
Should you upgrade from earlier versions of HVS Image?
2013-2019:
The latest system has very significant advantages over earlier ones, and makes useful improvements over recent versions. For Morris water maze these include further improvements to tracking robustness, addition of the post-trial timeout countdown, large on-screen notification of details for the next trial in a series, improved view in the analysis window (allowing long trial names to be fully visible and larger numbers of trials to show), retention of advanced settings until you change them or reset to default values, ability to use Gallagher proximity measures with and without correction for start point, ability to see thigmotaxis band of your chosen proportion on path plots, full screen path plots and easy plotting of multiple trials for comparison, with publication quality view and full details, and the ability to control the optional Atlantis platform automatically, so that the platform rises either as soon as the subject reaches the target location, or after a dwell time you set.
The current system is also designed to allow the option to control third party equipment such as other monitoring equipment you want to synchronize with your tracking data.
In addition it makes very significant advances for other experiments, including Barnes Maze, Dry Water Maze, Open Field, Novel Object Recognition and Multi-arm Mazes.
2100, 2020 or VP series:
If you are using an earlier HVS Image system such as a 2100, 2020 or VP series system, we strongly recommend that you upgrade as soon as possible. Apart from the advantages listed below, a new system will free you from dependence on hardware that is no longer replaceable. Neither the parts for the Plus module nor the computers to fit them have been available for some years now, so if either your Plus module or your current tracking computer reaches the end of its life part way through an experiment it will not be possible to get replacements.
The new system takes advantage of advances in computer power and high resolution USB cameras to give you many advantages over the older systems, and if you have .hvs raw data files recorded with your old system you’ll be able to analyze these with the new system to benefit from the up to date analysis, path plots etc.
Other advantages of the new system include:
Much faster data point collection rate, so data can be of higher quality.
High quality image exports (e.g. path plots), suitable for today’s publication standards.
Improved multi-plot and multi-path options.
Larger, higher quality video images, which users say allows them to monitor activity on screen rather than having to view the maze or arena, when they wish to observe manually as well as automatically.
Improved ease of use in set-up, tracking and analysis.
Up to date look and feel.
Ability to calibrate by numerically-defined platform positions (or as before by clicking positions seen on screen).
Built-in lighting check and automatic setting of tracking threshold.
Ability to re-run a trial in a series (e.g. if the experimenter makes an error).
Ability to track pre-recorded videos as well as live trials.
Wider range of experiments in addition Morris Water Maze, including but not limited to Multi-Arm Mazes, e.g. T Maze, Y Maze, Radial Arm Maze, Elevated Plus Maze, Open Field, Novel Object Recognition, Novelty Suppressed Feeding, New Frontier Exploration, Barnes Maze, Forced Swim Test, Home Cage Analysis, Hole Board Tests, Place Preference, Erasmus Ladder, Zebrafish Larvae Monitoring, Gait Analysis.
Use of software for analysis both on the tracking computer and on additional computers (e.g. outside the animal rooms).
Ability to record video frames via the HVS software so that you can view photos and videos of trials later if required.
3D tracking in open field and other rectangular arenas, to provide consistent monitoring of rearing, for example.
Option for automated Atlantis platform for water maze.
If there are any special features you would like added either now or later, these can be added to the new system, but not to the old.
Purchasing
You can purchase the HVS Image tracking and analysis system on its own or along with a pool, platform or both. If you need more than one, please ask for a discount. Please contact us with any special requirements.
Specs
Analyses include:
Latency
Path length
Average speed
Percentage of time floating (particularly relevant for mice)
Active speed (average swim speed corrected for floating)
Percentage of time in each quadrant
Percentage of path in each quadrant
Percentage of time in each zone / radius (pool zones can be adjusted to be equi-spaced or equi-area.)
Heading angle (angle relative to ideal path)
Percentage of time in thigmotaxis
Percentage of path in thigmotaxis
Pool Circling
Number of passes close to platform and calibrated platform positions
Percentage of time close to platform and calibrated platform positions
Latencies to reaching close to platform and calibrated platform positions
Close encounter time and path
Corridor Test (derived from Wishaw Corridor Test but handles any start point to any platform position and normalises the result to allow for different corridor areas)
Cone Test
Blokland Quads
Kelly Test
Gallagher Proximity Measures (e.g. Gallagher Global Measure, Gallagher Cumulative Measure)
Gallagher by Segment
Quad Entries
Path Efficiency Ratio (actual path length / direct path length)
Blokland Measure (% time in quadrants exceeding time in the outer thigmotaxis band)
Time-bins, allowing you to distinguish between, for example, spatial learning used to find the learned location quickly at the start of a probe test, followed by use of other strategies to search elsewhere on concluding that the platform is not at the learned position.
Tracking and analysis system includes:
Laptop or All-In-One PC, configured for optimum tracking performance and with HVS Image Video Tracking and Analysis software installed.
Two high resolution HVS Image USB LabCams with lenses for different set-ups.
Boosted extension cables for cameras.
Ceiling mounts for cameras.
Long range wireless remote device, for start-stop when away from PC.
Ability to record video frames.
Track live or pre-recorded behavior.
Tracking on the supplied PC. You can analyze HVS Image data on this and additional PCs.
Free updates and free technical support for at least three years from purchase date.
HVS Image Tracking and Analysis Software will be installed and activated on the PC, for behavioral tests including Morris Water Maze, Open Field*, Object Recognition/Placement*, Multi-Arm Mazes such as Elevated Plus, T, Y, Radial Arm Maze, Porsolt Forced Swim Test*, Barnes Maze, 48 or 96 Well Zebrafish Larvae Monitoring and other tests (please ask for any specific test needed).
*Tests marked with an asterisk allow tracking of multiple animals (in a divided arena or separate containers) with one license and one camera, and ability to track in 3D, with two cameras, to track rearing, climbing etc consistently as well as movement and activity around the arena.