VisuTrack Animal Behavior Analysis System

VisuTrackAnimal Behavior Analysis System

-----New generation behavior recognition technology

Introduction materials

1、 System Introduction

VisuTrack Animal Behavior Analysis SystemUsed for automatic tracking and analysis of animal movement, activity, and behavior, and providing variables such as movement speed, distance, and regional activity. VisuTrack not only uses animal body part segmentation technology to strictly distinguish the center of the animal's body contour, the tip of the animal's nose, and the tail root, but also applies AI image recognition and tracking technology to truly achieve one click intelligent tracking of animals throughout the entire process by learning and simulating massive animal behavior experiment raw videos.

VisuTrack is not just a tracking software, but also a platform that can be used for automated experimental research, improving efficiency and reducing human errors. As a platform, VisuTrack can not only create complex solutions for controlling external devices such as fluorescent lamps, speakers, foot shocks, and food particle dispensers, but also synchronize data with third-party electrophysiology, optogenetics, calcium ion signals, etc., providing an ideal customized experimental platform for researchers.

2、 System module composition

VisuTrack includes multiple main functional modules:

• Basic module

• Output Control Module (I/O Module)

• Plug in module

• GLP module

• Complex and refined behavior module

VisuTrack is a system that utilizes third-generation behavioral recognition technology. Can adapt to the needs of most mainstream behavioral experiments at present, while providingParameters can improve the sensitivity and accuracy of detection.

3、 Software application scope

• Learning and Memory Experiment

Morris water maze, eight arm maze, twelve arm maze, Y maze, T maze, Barnes maze, six arm water maze

• Anxiety and Depression Experiment

Elevated Cross Maze, Open Field Experiment, Spontaneous Activity, O-Maze, Light and Dark Box (Black and White Box), Forced Swimming, Suspended Tail

• Exploring behavioral experiments

Novel object recognition experiment, animal communication experiment, hole board experiment, hole experiment

• Drug addiction experiment

Conditional Position Preference (CPP), Conditional Position Aversion (CPA)

• External Control Experiment

Conditional light stimulation, sound stimulation, electrical stimulation, optogenetics, electrophysiological synchronization, with TTL interface provided, are more suitable for dark avoidance experiments, jumping platform experiments, sleep deprivation experiments, learning helplessness experiments, drinking water shock experiments, scene fear experiments, etc

4、 Technical features

4.1 New generation behavior recognition algorithm

The system has a variety of animal detection and noise reduction detection methods, which can handle almost all behavioral experiments in complex experimental environments. It supports Animal Size animal size, Animal Color animal color and background difference (black white, white black, mixed color changing background, etc.), as well as automatic threshold, manual threshold, complex threshold (both white and black), head orientation threshold, etc

• AI intelligent recognition method, suitable for novice experimenters, can quickly, accurately, and automatically identify experimental animals

• Grayscale method, suitable for experiments with stable lighting, significant color difference between the experimental environment background and the tested animal

• Static background method is suitable for experiments where the background is uneven and the brightness is unclear, but the background is relatively fixed

• Dynamic background method is suitable for experiments where the background is uneven, the brightness and darkness are unclear, and the background changes slightly

• Gaussian background method, suitable for experiments with complex environmental backgrounds, weak light, and small differences in animal color and background

4.2 Multi site recognition technology

The software conducts global analysis of animal body shape to detect four feature points: Nose position, Forebody Center, Animal Center, and Tail Base position, and analyzes animal behavior accordingly.

By using multiple point modules on the animal body, the software can recognize the tip and tail root of the animal. When studying the memory of rats or mice, the proximity of the animal's nose to an object or the orientation of the animal's head are very useful parameters. The head facing area is very suitable for novel object recognition experiments, which study animals' interest in objects inside or outside the observation area. New object exploration is typically defined as the activity of animal heads around a specific radius of the object. Analyzing the degree and angle of the head orientation towards the point of interest in rats or mice using the variable of "head orientation area".

The software can also use body multi point detection to more accurately analyze the forelimbs entering mazes or other areas, and define which body points should enter the forelimbs for inclusion in the indicators. Afterwards, this feature is also a good supplement to social interaction experimental research.

4.3 Complex and Fine Behavior Detection

The system can automatically analyze the fine behaviors of more experimental animals, such as crawling/stationary/stationary micro movements, swinging/shaking heads, grooming, spinning, standing, walking on the side of the road, sniffing, stretching, body bending, etc., and can generate animal behavior maps and time sequence maps for corresponding time periods; This module automation can improve the objectivity and effectiveness of research, as its advantages outweigh human observation. The system has accuracy, consistency, and continuity. It will rate the same behavior in the same way each time. Especially improving the effectiveness of long-term observation. Human eye observation can be tiring, and it may take several hours to rate the behavior of a few minutes of video. However, the fine-grained behavior plugin function can automatically judge and never disappoint.

4.4 External Input/Output Control and Trigger Function

Integrating behavior with biological signals (electroencephalogram, blood pressure, neuronal activity, ultrasound sound) and experimental stimuli (sound, light, electric shock, etc.), VisuTrack provides integration solutions and module writing for synchronous analysis. By utilizing intelligent triggering options, events and actions can be customized to automatically start, stop, pause, and resume analysis.

The picture shows an I/O box, input/output controller

For example, when using optogenetic stimuli for behavioral research, experiments and hardware control can play a significant role. Stimulus can be controlled through experiments and hardware control modules based on animal behavior or time. At the same time, various situations that occurred during the experiment can also be recorded, making it easy to analyze what behavioral changes occurred after light genetic stimulation.

4.5 GLP Experimental Module

The system includes the GLP module, which can allocate user permissions and user policies. The system comes with administrator mode, review user mode, and experimenter mode, corresponding to different software usage permissions. It can also export operation log tables and review log tables that meet GLP requirements, and conduct animal behavior "double-blind" experiments.

For the construction of an animal behavior laboratory platform in schools, in order to facilitate efficient management, additional permissions can be granted to laboratory operators to operate software according to laboratory requirements. Various standardized experimental templates and user-defined experimental templates can be built in for all students.

4.6 Comprehensive real-time functionality

The software has comprehensive real-time functionality and can display plugin windows in real-time to show the tracking status of animals and determine whether they are accurately tracked; Event window, displaying detailed behavioral events of animal tracking and analysis process in real-time; Result window, displaying real-time measurement results of indicators;

4.7 Experimental retest function

The software provides a re verification function, which means that the detected events can be automatically replayed/played with the corresponding video by clicking, making it easier to verify; Adjustable analysis parameters can be used to reanalyze recorded videos/trajectory points during real-time analysis to improve analysis results, without the need to redo experiments and re record videos/analysis videos;

4.8 Criteria for entering the area

Provide multiple criteria for animal entry into the area: center point entry, body area entry, and position point entry. At the same time, the threshold of relevant criteria can be customized. Animals are in different experimental containers, and we need to change different criteria to provide the credibility and accuracy of the experiment.

4.9 Synchronous analysis of different categories of experiments

The same software can analyze different animal behavior experiments online or offline at the same time on the same computer, improving experimental efficiency while increasing the reliability, real-time performance, and synchronization of drug efficacy evaluation. After analysis, the data will be automatically classified according to experimental categories, making it particularly suitable for schools to build animal behavior experiment public platforms and batch offline video processing. As shown in the figure, Morris water maze, eight arm maze, elevated cross maze, and open field experiment videos can be analyzed offline simultaneously.

5Data management function

5.1 Experimental indicator statistics

VisuTrack software supports segmented data retrieval, grouped statistical data, and trajectory filtering functions, allowing users to obtain * statistical processing functions without using third-party software. It can calculate the variance and standard deviation of selected indicators, draw and export histograms of corresponding indicators.

5.2 Curve trajectory display

VisuTrack software provides various forms of animal activity trajectory visualization display: trajectory map, trajectory vector map (supporting multiple times lossless enlargement/reduction), heatmap, 3D heatmapTwo dimensional activity map and three-dimensional activity map.

6、 Rich plugin functions (optional)

VisuTrack software provides rich plugin functions, making it convenient for users to expand and customize personalized experimental and testing indicators. Currently, we have customized plugin modules such as Morris water maze, open field experiment, head exploration behavior, and alternating behavior. By enabling these plugins, users can more easily conduct "unusual" behavioral experiments and calculate "unusual" behavioral indicator parameters.

• Morris Water Maze Plugin

• Alternating Behavior Plugin

• Open field experiment plugin

• Fine Behavior Plugin

• Head Exploration Behavior Plugin

• Barnes Maze Plugin

• Lat Maze Plugin

• Forced swimming experiment plugin

• Suspended tail experiment plugin

6.1 Morris Water Maze Plugin

The Morris Water Maze plugin allows users to define and set additional search strategy area parameters (linear search, directional search, edge search), test more diverse water maze experimental indicators, and also accept users to customize various depth indicators: turning search, directional approach, distance approach, etc.

6.2 Head Exploration Behavior Plugin

On the basis of the three-point recognition in the basic module, the head exploration behavior plugin introduces a more complex judgment mechanism to detect whether the animal's head (nose tip) effectively contacts the object of interest, such as head deviation, effective distance, etc.

6.3 Open field experiment plugin

The open field experiment plugin allows users to further evaluate the cross cell behavior of animals in the open field experiment box, such as cross cell frequency and level, near wall distance, supportive standing, and unsupported standing.

6.4 Y Maze Plugin

The Y maze plugin can be extended to allow users to detect relevant parameters of animal spontaneous alternation behavior in Y maze experiments, such as the number of single step cycles on opposite arms (SAP), the number of cycles on the same arm at the beginning and end (AAR), and the number of single cycles on the same arm (SAR).

7、 Test indicators

We provide users with a wide range of animal behavior testing parameters, which can help them analyze various types of animal behavior information. All testing indicatorsGo to each user-defined analysis area.

Conventional indicators: activity distance, dwell time, exercise speed

Experimental indicators: Latency period (* entry time), number of entries, depth of entry, and proportion of distance traveled in each region

Characteristic indicators: Rest (stillness) time, struggling time, Freezing time, Freezing frequency

Exploration indicators: number of head contacts, contact time, contact latency, approach time, long distance

Fine behavioral indicators: drinking frequency, eating frequency, shaking frequency, grooming behavior, curling behavior, sniffing behavior, elongation, rigidity, etc

Plugin indicators: steering search, directional approach, proximity, alternating behavior, cross grid frequency, cross grid level, support standing, search strategy, custom area surrounding activity, sniffing radius, etc

8、 System composition

The complete system solution of VisuTrack includes VisuTrack software (optional by module), acquisition module, and experimental instruments.

Among them, VisuTrack software supports the installation of Win Xp, Win7 system, and Win10 system. The acquisition module includes USB acquisition card and camera. Experimental instruments need to be selected according to the user's research direction, such as Morris water maze, elevated cross maze, open field experiment, etc.

VisuTrack animal behavior video analysis software

Camera recommendation: Black and white gun style camera with 700 line resolution

It is recommended to choose a USB acquisition card for the acquisition card, so that the software can be installed in the laptop

9、 Software expansion and upgrade

Shanghai Xinruan has applied for several software copyrights for the "Super" series and "Track" series animal behavior analysis software, possessing core recognition algorithm technology and the ability to continuously upgrade and maintain subsequent software.

VisuTrackSoftware upgrades are free within 3 years, and not upgrading will not affect users' normal use.

We usually choose to contact users for upgrades around the eve of school summer vacation (July) and winter vacation (December).

10、 Typical Customers

Institute of Nanotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Academy of Military Medical Sciences

Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Peking University School of Life Sciences

Peking University School of Medicine Drug Dependence Institute

Shanghai Jiao Tong University

China Agricultural University

Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Zhaoyan (Suzhou) New Drug Research Center Co., Ltd

Shanghai Green Valley Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd

Jianghan University

Suzhou University

Nanjing University

The user list is not detailed and the ranking is not in any particular order.

Eleventhsoftware extension

VisuTrack software is a new generation of animal behavior analysis system developed by Shanghai Xinruan Information Technology Co., Ltd. It can be applied to almost all animal behavior experimental tests. We adhere to the principle of "everything for experiments" and will continue to introduce more "black technology" into behavior analysis software. The plugin module (optional) of VisuTrack will continue to be updated, and we also hope to absorb more experimental needs from customers. At present, the "Track" series software is being developedFishTrack zebrafish behavior analysis softwareandCageTrack Rodent Daily Behavior Monitoring Software.

For more experimental methods and product introductions, you can add the following WeChat and official account inquiries: