Fly Locomotor

Monitoring fly locomotor activity is a relatively cheap and simple method for investigating complex behavior as well as linking targeted mutations with phenotype and behavior expression. Studies on fly locomotion have also proved useful in unravelling the neural mechanisms by which chemical compounds regulate motor function and behaviour. Fly behavioral studies such as learning (olfactory) and memory, and Circadian rhythms, sleep and regulation of feeding behaviour usually employ some aspect of locomotor quantification. The monitoring process relies on the ability to quantify changes in fly activity during or in response to a task or an external stimulus (e.g., ethanol vapour).

The set-up for monitoring fly locomotion comprises a controlled environment chamber containing suitable fly culture medium. The chamber is usually a long glass tube which houses a single fly or for higher through-put analyses, a well/ plate containing several flies. Fly locomotor behavior is defined by specific measurements that include distance travelled, speed, turning and orientation, fly position relative to other flies, duration in motion/ location within the test chamber.

Analysing fly locomotor activity using Actual products is easy, and ActualTrack: Fly Edition is designed specifically for analysing fly movement. A fly (or multiple flies) in the test chamber is monitored with a video camera mounted above (when using multi-well plate or Petri dish), or to the side (when using glass vials) of the experimental chamber, and is connected to a computer to record a video file. ActualTrack: Fly Edition software analyses the video file and tracks the position and orientation of each fly within the test chamber. Using ActualTrack: Fly Edition you can define regions for the glass vial or Petri dish and accurately and automatically monitor entry of the fly to regions based on its location. With ActualTrack: Fly Edition, locomotor activity is also easily assessed and quantified in any user-defined region within the test chamber.

What you need to perform fly locomotor experiments using ActualTrack: Fly Edition:

- Digital Camera: from standard digital video camera to professional digital High Definition cameras (to enhance resolution of very small flies). ActualTrack: Fly Edition can work with almost any common video format. See our recommended camera list for the most appropriate camera for your set-up.

- ActualCapture Software (optional) - enables easy direct recording of your experiment to a digital video file. This is recommended when you do not already have a camera and recording software. If you would like us to arrange and supply recording set-up, please contact us.

- Lighting: diffuse lighting from behind or above the vial / well plate,or infrared (IR) lighting for recording during the dark.

- Adult flies, and a test chamber such as glass vial (single flies) or multi-well plate or Petri dish (multiple flies).

- A computer with a web browser and web access (see requirements for details).

- ActualTrack: Fly Edition software

Our tracking, scoring and video capture software can be easily optimised to a broad range of hardware and experimental set-ups to ensure the best possible conditions for your video analysis. If required, please contact us for recommendations and a list of preferred suppliers of hardware.

What you can analyse during fly locomotor tests using ActualTrack: Fly Edition:

- Locomotor results: Distance travelled (cm), Average Speed (cm / s), Locomotor results for each zone defined for the test arena. Heading trajectory.

- Zone results based on fly location within defined regions within the test arena: Time spent in each zone [s], Time spent in each zone [%], Latency to each first zone entry [s], Number of visits to each zone [n], Number of visits to each zone [%], First zone visited, Zone transitions & timings, Average time spent per visit to each zone, Heading trajectory

- Visualisations: Birds nest plot, heat map

- ActualScore functionality allows for integrated manual coding user defined behaviors

- All results are calculated automatically and provided in an easy to use CSV format which can be imported in to most statistical analysis packages for further investigation and graphical representation

- and much more...

For more information, see the product information, or get in touch to find out more about how ActualTrack: Fly Edition could help you achieve the results you need.