Video camera settings
To verify the video camera settings (focus, iris) the monitoring feature of SMART can be used. A real-time digital image, as it is "seen" by SMART, is presented in the computer screen. Using the controls provided to this effect by SMART, the adjustment of gain, contrast and brightness can be done.
Arena and zones definition
Single/multiple arena(s), can be used with a single camera. If multiple arenas are used, no interaction between them is allowed. If several interacting animals are to be tested, all of them must be in a single arena. SMART analyses each arena as an independent window.
Up to 32 colour-coded zones can be defined for each different arena. Easy to use drawing tools make this task easy. A zone is drawn beyond the image of the arena presented in the computer screen using a selected drawing tool. A background-masking zone allows for the elimination of all the parts of the arena not having to do directly with the experiment.
Zone definitions can be filed and recovered when necessary.
Analysis mode
Motor activity analysis can be done in two main ways: as a measure of the "amount of change" detected in the arena along time (expressed as surface units). In this analysis, what it is evaluated is not the spatial position of the subject(s), but the difference between successive images. This difference reflects the amount of movement produced in the arena.
Alternatively, position tracking can be used. In this case, several alternatives are available:
- The high-contrast tracking option. When there is a clear contrast between the subject and the background (no matter if the animal is lighter than the background or viceversa), the high contrast tracking option can be used. When the high contrast tracking option is selected, SMART, even presenting full colour images on the computer screen, only process the luminance component (256 levels). The subject is identified as a spot with a difference in its luminance level higher than the user selected threshold.
- The low contrast-tracking option. If the contrast between the experimental subject and the background is not high (as, for instances, in the circular water maze when albino rats are tested for swimming in white coloured water), it is necessary to use a much more reliable tracking method to warrant the proper detection of the experimental subject. In this case, SMART not only shows the colour image on the computer screen but also uses the full information
