EthoVision XT Integration
Overview
The ConductMaze–EthoVision integration establishes bidirectional communication between ConductMaze behavioral control and Noldus EthoVision XT video tracking via a persistent TCP/IP socket connection. EthoVision streams real-time positional data (center-point coordinates, body elongation, velocity) to ConductMaze, enabling closed-loop experimental paradigms where apparatus events are triggered by the animal's tracked position — for example, delivering a shock when a rat enters a defined zone, or opening a guillotine door when the subject crosses a boundary.
In the reverse direction, ConductMaze transmits timestamped event markers to EthoVision on every behavioral event: CS onset/offset, US delivery, lever press, nose-poke, door operation, reinforcer delivery, and trial phase transitions. These markers are embedded directly in EthoVision's data stream, producing a unified timeline that aligns video tracking data with hardware-controlled behavioral events at millisecond precision. The TCP client in ConductMaze runs on an asynchronous listener thread, maintaining connection state and reconnecting automatically if the socket drops.
ConductMaze includes a built-in EthoVision Simulator module for testing and validating integration configurations without requiring the full EthoVision license. The simulator generates synthetic coordinate streams with configurable arena dimensions, movement speed, and zone definitions, allowing researchers to verify closed-loop logic before running live experiments. Compatible with EthoVision XT 14 and later versions.
Trial Flow
Configure Connection
Set EthoVision hostname and TCP port in ConductMaze connection manager
Establish TCP Link
ConductMaze TCP client connects to EthoVision server, async listener thread starts
Verify Handshake
Connection state transitions from WaitingForConnect to Connected
Stream Position Data
EthoVision sends real-time X,Y coordinates, velocity, and zone occupancy
Closed-Loop Trigger
ConductMaze evaluates zone rules against current animal position
Execute Event
Apparatus action triggered (shock, door, stimulus) with TTL timestamp
Send Event Marker
Event marker transmitted to EthoVision for synchronized data logging
Session End
Disconnect TCP socket, export unified event + tracking log
Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EthoVision Host | string | localhost | Hostname or IP address of the EthoVision XT workstation |
| TCP Port | integer | 5050 | TCP port for the EthoVision–ConductMaze socket connection |
| Auto-Reconnect | enum | Enabled | Automatically re-establish connection if socket drops (Enabled, Disabled) |
| Reconnect Interval | seconds | 5 | Delay between reconnection attempts when auto-reconnect is enabled |
| Coordinate Frame | enum | Arena | Coordinate reference frame for position data (Arena, Pixel, Normalized) |
| Zone Trigger Latency | seconds | 0.5 | Minimum time animal must remain in zone before triggering closed-loop event |
| Event Marker Format | enum | ConductMaze | Format for event markers sent to EthoVision (ConductMaze native, EthoVision XML, plain text) |
| Simulation Mode | enum | Disabled | Use built-in EthoVision simulator for testing without live tracking (Enabled, Disabled) |
Metrics
| Metric | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Connection Uptime | percent | Percentage of session time with active TCP connection to EthoVision |
| Data Packets Received | count | Total position data packets received from EthoVision during session |
| Event Markers Sent | count | Total behavioral event markers transmitted to EthoVision |
| Closed-Loop Triggers | count | Number of apparatus events triggered by zone-based position rules |
| Mean Tracking Latency | ms | Average delay between EthoVision position update and ConductMaze event evaluation |
| Packet Loss Rate | percent | Percentage of expected position packets not received (connection quality metric) |
Sample Data
| Timestamp_ms | Event_Type | X_cm | Y_cm | Velocity_cm_s | Zone | Trigger_Fired |
|---|
Representative data for illustration purposes. Actual values will vary by species, strain, and experimental conditions.
Applications
- 1Closed-loop place avoidance — trigger aversive stimuli when the animal enters defined spatial zones tracked by EthoVision
- 2CPP with automated tracking — combine conditioned place preference apparatus control with EthoVision time-in-zone analysis
- 3Social interaction quantification — synchronize three-chamber door control with EthoVision social proximity tracking
- 4Open-field operant overlay — use EthoVision position data to create virtual operant zones in an open arena
- 5Multi-modal data fusion — merge video-tracked locomotion with ConductMaze-recorded lever presses and reinforcer deliveries in one timeline
Compatible Products
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