Optimal frame rates for Fear Conditioning

FreezeFrame can collect images at up to 15 frames per second. From extensive experimentation, we have found that the optimal time between frames for measuring motion is 250-300 ms.

Shorter times cause a loss of sensitivity. That is, the shorter the time between measurements, the less the animal will have moved between one frame and the next, and subtle or slow movements made by the animal can be missed. At higher frames, then, FreezeFrame compares every 2nd or every 4th frame to keep the motion integration times at the optimum of 250-300 ms. Higher frame rates allow more frequent measurements of freezing, and higher temporal resolution of stored videos, at a cost of requiring more disk space to store.