Video Tracking WaterMaze Video Tracking Software for the Morris Water Maze Video Tracking • WaterMaze Video Tracking Software for the Morris Water Maze WaterMaze, designed in collaboration with Richard Morris (University of Edinborough), is an entirely new concept for taking the strain out of running Morris water maze experiments. WaterMaze incorporates a unique Project Manager for designing and executing complex experiments with multiple animals, starting points and platform positions. Reference memory, working-memory and other designs in which trials are interleaved in different ways can be accommodated easily. Once the project parameters are specified, each day WaterMaze tells the user which animal to run next and to which platform. Even the most complex experiments can be run accurately and efficiently, increasing experimental throughput. The Project Manager keeps track of complex trial sequences for up to 100 animals at a time. The sequence of trials, including different stating positions, maximum trial durations and platform locations, can be specified independently for each animal or copied from one animal to others in the trial. The program can be set such that each animal gets all its daily trials together before the next animal is run, or with all animals being trained on one trial before they are moved to the next. No matter how complex the experiment, the Project Manager keeps track and tells the user at the start of each new day how many trials are to be run for each animal. Then, through the course of a day’s experiment, the program prompts the user for each animal in turn, showing on the live video image where the platform should be placed and where the animal should be released. The user is free to concentrate on animal behavior, not on animal bookkeeping. If necessary, preset sequences can be overridden and trials performed in any user-specified order. At the end of each trial, data are saved in pre-named files automatically. Problem subjects can be removed from the project at any time with the click of a button. Those that meet the learning criterion can be tagged and the program will automatically remove them from further training sessions. For all its flexibility, WaterMaze is easy to use. Because the WaterMaze designers are also users, the features have been built to match the daily routine of running experiments. Controls and menus are placed in logical and intuitive arrangements, so that even complex protocols can be setup in a few minutes. Online Help windows are provided throughout the program. key features } Unique Project Manager to design and execute complex trial sequences } Extremely flexible and easy to use } Robust tracking } Simple to setup with standard CCD cameras parameters measured } Thigmotaxis } Moser’s zone } Whishaw’s corridor } Gallagher’s proximity } Quadrant times and crossings 12 www.coulbourn.com • www.panlab.com