Composition of System Modules

VisuTrack consists of multiple functional modules:

Basic module	I/O module
Plug-in module	GLP module

Including the complex and fine behavior modules, such as circling, grooming and sniffing

As an excellent behavior recognition system based on the 3^rd generation of behavioristics technology, VisuTrack can be applied to most mainstream behavior tests to provide the latest and richest parameters and improve detection sensitivity and accuracy

Application Scope of Software

1. Learning & memory test

Morris water maze, eight-arm radial maze, twelve-arm maze, T-maze, Barnes, and six-arm water maze.

2. Anxiety-depression test

Elevated plus maze, open field test, spontaneous activity, Q maze, light-dark box (white-black box), forced swimming, and tail suspension.

3. Exploratory behavior test

Novel object recognition test, animal communication test, hole board test, and hole test.

4. Drug addiction test

Conditioned place preference (CPP) and conditional place aversion (CPA).

5. External control test

Conditioned light stimulation, sound stimulation, electrical stimulation, optogenetics. And electrophysiological synchronization are provided, TTL interfaces are provided to better implement heliophobic tests, step-dowm tests, sleep deprivation tests, learned helplessness tests, drinking water shock tests, scene fear tests, etc.

Technical Features

New Generation of Behavior Recognition Algorithm

Relying on multiple powerful detection methods for animals and noise elimination, the system can withstand behavior tests under almost all complex test conditions. It supports differences in animal size, animal color, and background (black-white, white-black, mixed color-changing background, etc.). Additionally, it supports automatic thresholding, manual thresholding, complex thresholding (both white and black), head direction thresholding, etc.

• AI intelligent recognition method: Suitable for new testers, it can realize fast, accurate, and auto-recognition of the animals under test.
• Grayscale method: Applicable to tests with stable light rays and obvious color differences between the test background and the tested animal.
• Static background method: Applicable to tests with an unbalanced test background, unknown brightness but a relatively fixed background.
• Dynamic background method: Applicable to tests with an unbalanced test background, unknown brightness but a slightly changed background.
• Gaussian background method: Applicable to tests with a complex environment background, weak light, and a small difference between animal color and background.

Multi-point Recognition Technology

The software can realize global analysis on the animal’s form. For instance, it can analyze the animal’s behaviors based on the four characteristic points, including nose position, forebody center, animal center, and tail base position.

The software can recognize animal’s noses and tails based on the multi-point module. For the animal nose accessing certain objects or the animal head direction, these are highly useful parameters when researching the memory of rats or mice. The head-facing area is applied to the novel object recognition test, namely, the animal’s interest in objects inside or outside the observation area. Generally, the novel object study is defined as the activities of animal heads within a certain radius of an object. The “head-facing area”can be applied to variable analysis on the degree of interest of the rat or mouse head towards the interest point.

Complex and Fine Behavior Detection

The system can analyze the finer behaviors of the tested animals, such as crawling/standstill/local fine movement, head shaking, grooming, circling, standing, walking along with side, sniffing, stretching, and body bending. It can generate an animal behavior atlas and sequence chart within the corresponding period. The automation of this module can improve research objectiveness and efficiency and is much superior to human eye observation. Characterized by accuracy, consistency, and continuity, the system can evaluate the same behaviors in the same way and improve the efficiency of long-term observation. Compared to observation by human eyes, which is painful during observation and may take hours to evaluate a few minutes of video, the fine behavior plug-in function can realize automatic judgment and satisfy people’s expectations.

Animal Behavior Spectrum

Sequence Chart

External I/O Control and Trigger Functions

By integrating behaviors and biological signals (EEG, blood pressure, neuronal activity and ultrasonic vocalization) and test simulations (sound, light, electric shock, etc.), VisuTrack can provide synchronous analysis such as integration plans and module write-ins. Based on the intelligent trigger function, Event and Action can be customized to realize automatic start, stop, pause, and recovery of analysis.

For example, the test and hardware control can play a significant role in implementing behavior studies through optogenetics stimulation. The simulation can be controlled by the test and simulation control module based on animal behaviors or time. Therefore, the behavior changes after optogenetics stimulation can be analyzed easily.

GLP Test Module

The system contains a GLP module that can distribute user authority and user strategy. It supports administrator mode, review user mode, and tester mode, each with corresponding authorities for software use. Additionally, the system can export operation logs and review logs that meet GLP requirements and launch the “double-blind” test of animal behaviors.An animal behavior laboratory platform is built for schools to achieve convenient and efficient management. It can distribute the authority of tester operation software based on laboratory requirements and provide built-in test templates and user-defined test templates for all students.

Overall Real-time Functions

The software is equipped with overall real-time functions to display the plug-in window and animal tracking status in real time, enabling the judgment of tracking accuracy. The Event window can display fine behavior events in the process of animal tracking and analysis in real time. The Result window can display index measurement results in real time.

Retest Function

The software provides are test function. Testers can click the auto replay/play button to play the corresponding videos of events for easy calibration. Additionally, testers can adjust the analysis parameters and reanalyze the recorded video/track points that are recorded during real-time analysis without repeated testing, video recording/analysis;

Judgment Criteria of Regional Entry

Multiple judgment criteria for animal entrance regions are provided: Entry of center point, entry of body and position point. Meanwhile, the thresholds of relevant judgment standards can be customized. When animals are in different test containers, it is necessary to change the judgment criteria to guarantee the reliability and accuracy of the test.

Synchronous Analysis on Different Tests

One set of software can realize online or offline analysis on different animal behavior tests simultaneously on the same computer, aiming to improve test efficiency as well as the reliability, timeliness, and synchronism of pesticide effect evaluation. Besides, after the analysis is completed, the data will be automatically classified by test category, which is applicable to the school public platform of animal behavior tests and batch offline processing of videos. As shown in the picture below, the software can realize offline analysis on Morris water maze, eight-arm maze, elevated cross maze, and open field test videos simultaneously.

Data Management Function

Test Index Statistics

VisuTrack supports data retrieval based on segmentation, grouped statistics of data, and track screening function. Thus, users can utilize powerful statistics & treatment functions without using third-party software. It can calculate the square deviation and standard difference of the selected index draw and export the histogram of corresponding indexes.

Display Curve Track

VisuTrack provides multiple visual display modes for animal activity tracks: locus diagram, locus vector diagram (supports lossless zoom in/out), heat map, 3D heat map, 2D activity level diagram and 3D activity level diagram.

• Rich Plug-in Functions (Optional)

VisuTrack provides rich plug-in functions for users to extend customized test indexes. Presently, we have customized plug-in modules such as the Morris water maze, open field maze, head exploration activity and alternative activity, which can help users launch “unusual” behavior tests and calculate “distinctive” behavioristics index parameters.

Morris Water Maze Plugin

Based on the Morris water maze plugin, the user can define and set the parameters of the search strategy area (straight line search, trend search, and edge search) to test richer test indexes of the water maze and accept the user’s accepted indexes of different depths: turning search, direction approach, and distance approach.

Head Exploration Behavior Plugin

Based on the basic module’s three-point recognition, the head exploration behavior plugin has introduced a more complex judgment mechanism to detect whether the animal head (nose) has effective contact with the object of interest, such as head deflection and effective distance.

Open Field Test Plugin

The open field test plugin can help users further evaluate the grid-crossing behaviors of animals in the open field test chamber. This includes parameters such as grid crossing times, grid crossing grade, near-wall distance, supportive standing, and non-supportive standing.

Y Maze Plugin

The Y maze plugin can help detect the relevant parameters of an animal’s alternative behaviors in the Y maze test. This includes different arm single-step cycle times (SAP), head-tail same arm cycle times (AAR), and same arm single cycle times (SAR).

Test Index

We provide a wealth of animal behavior test parameters for users to analyze animal behavior information. All test indexes are accurate to the analysis area defined by each user.

Conventional index: Activity route, stay period, motion speed

Test index: Potential period (first entry time), entry times, entry depth, and route proportion of each area.

Characteristic index: Sleep (static) period, struggle period, freezing period, and freezing times. Fine behavior index: Water drinking times, eating times, shaking times, grooming, huddling, sniffing, stretching, stiffness, etc.

Plugin index: Turning searching, direction approach, approach degree, alternative behaviors, grid crossing times, grid crossing grade, supportive standing, search strategy, surrounding activities ofcustomized area, and sniffing radius.

System Composition

The complete system plan of VisuTrack encompasses VisuTrack software (selected by module), a collection module, test instruments, and a soft dog.

Among these components, VisuTrack supports the Win Xp and Win7, and Win10 systems. The collection module includes a USB collection card and a camera. The test instruments should be selected based on the user’s subject direction, such as Morris water maze, elevated cross maze, and open field tests.