Besides EthoVision XT, we offer EthoVision 3.1. EthoVision XT will continue to develop in order to replace EthoVision 3.1. in the future. This process is ongoing and will eventually lead to one single package: EthoVision XT.

While they share a lot of features, each package offers functionality that is not available in the other package. Important: the two packages are not compatible; experiment files and arena designs created in one package cannot be opened in the other. 

• EthoVision XT is available in a base package and can optionally be extended with different modules. The multiple body points module extracts more features from video than the animal's body center point alone, the multiple arenas module increases your productivity, the physiology module enables you to investigate the relationships between behavior and physiology, and the GLP module helps you reach compliance in meeting 21 CFR Part 11 requirements.
• EthoVision 3.1 is available in three configurations. EthoVision Pro increases your productivity and EthoVision Color-Pro enable you to study social interaction.

To guide you to the EthoVision package that suits you best, the differences between the two packages can be found in the comparison table below or in the PDF. Feel free to request more information in order to find out which package meets your requirements best.

Feature extraction

• Tracking nose point and tail base: Tracking the coordinates belonging to the nose point and tail base point of a rat or mouse. This feature is ideal to, for instance, measure the distance between the nose point and to the object in the novel object recognition test.

Back to table

Number of animals and arenas

• 2 animals per arena: Tracking two animals per arena, allowing for measurement of social interactions.
• Up to 16 animals per arena: Tracking up to 16 animals per arena, allowing for measurement of social interactions. 

Back to table

Defining arenas and zones

• Automatic detection of zone center: The center of an arena or zone is detected automatically, which simplifies the division of the area in multiple equal zones.  
• Advanced calibration: Calibration of the arena results in EthoVision converting pixel distances into real value distances (meters, inches, etc.). The advanced calibration technique ensures that distortions caused by a short focal lens are minimized. 

Back to table

Data acquisition

• Record video while tracking data live: During live tracking an MPEG4 video file is created. The acquired track can be visualized on the computer screen, superimposed on the recorded video. 
• Color tracking: Animal detection on the difference in color between animals. With the color tracking method, up to 16 objects can be tracked in a single arena at a time.
• Dynamic subtraction: Animal detection on the difference in gray scale value between the animal and a continually updated reference image. The dynamic subtraction method ensures that animals will be reliably tracked, even when the background changes whilst tracking takes place.

Back to table

Experiment design

• Cascading start option: When working with multiple arenas, the advanced trial control function ensures that a generic start condition is applied to each arena individually. When this condition is met in an arena, EthoVision XT starts tracking in that arena only.
• Advanced trial control: In EthoVision XT, conditions to automatically start and stop trials can be based upon parameters, parameter outcome, and the actual time of the day.   
• Series of trials: The series of trials function can be used to automatically run trials one after the other, either without a break or with a fixed time interval in between.
• Manual event recording: With the manual event recorder, a number of behaviors, which are defined by the user, can be manually scored by pressing corresponding keys of a keyboard.
• TTL- in and out: TTL is an on-off type of signal that can be sent to a computer. This way, devices in the arena, for instance guillotine doors, can react on events signaled by EthoVision 3.1, for instance the entrance of an animal into a zone.

Back to table

EthoVision parameters

• Elongation: Measurement of the degree of elongation of the mouse's or rat's body. The user decides which extents of elongation need to be recorded as 'stretched', 'normal', and 'contracted'.
• Zone transitions: The number of zone transitions and sequence of zone entries are important measures in search pattern studies.
• Rotations: The number of rotations made by an animal is very useful when evaluating the effects of novel drugs or compounds to unilateral brain defects.
• Heading to point: The value of this parameter indicates to what degree an animal moves towards a zone or object.
• Head direction to point or zone: Measurement to what degree the head of a rat or mouse is directed towards a zone or point of interest, indicating the animal’s level of attention to this zone or point.
• Social behaviors: The social behavior parameters are based on the relative movement between pairs of simultaneously tracked animals.

Back to table

Data visualization

• Visualize tracks and video in sync: Acquired tracks can be visualized on the computer screen, superimposed and in sync with the video on which the track is based.
• Visualize tracks and physiological data in sync: During tracking, EthoVision XT sends out a sync signal to a data acquisition system (e.g. telemetry system). The files generated by the acquisition system can be imported into EthoVision XT and displayed in sync with the corresponding acquired track.

Back to table

GLP functionality

• User management rights: The user management rights function guarantees that only authorized persons are able to start EthoVision XT and perform assigned tasks. A user that has been given the right to 'define users' can assign rights to other users. Authorized users need to log into the program by entering their user name and password.
• Audit trail/logging: In the application log the usage of EthoVision XT by authorized users is registered. The application log contains all user management rights information and lists the date and time of taken actions, such as starting and stopping of the EthoVision XT program, creation of a new experiment, and starting and stopping of an experiment. The experiment log (audit trail) contains the experiment settings, arena settings, detection settings, and trial control settings used in that specific experiment. In addition, the date and time of taken actions and changes made to settings are logged and documented.

Back to table

Other

• Vista compliant: EthoVision XT is compatible to the latest Windows version, Windows Vista.

Back to table