Natural Whisker-Guided Behavior by Head-Fixed Mice in Tactile Virtual Reality

• DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0712-14.2014
• Publication Date: 2014-07-16T16:34:41Z
• Authors: Nicholas J. Sofro...; Jeremy D. Cohen; Albert K. Lee; Karel Svoboda
• Keywords: Whisking in animals

During many natural behaviors the relevant sensory stimuli and motor outputs are difficult to quantify. Furthermore, high dimensionality of space possible movements compounds problem experimental control. Head fixation facilitates stimulus control movement tracking, can be combined with techniques for recording manipulating neural activity. However, head-fixed mouse typically trained through extensive instrumental conditioning. Here we present a whisker-based, tactile virtual reality system mice running on spherical treadmill. Head-fixed displayed movements, including rhythmic whisking at 16 Hz. Whisking was centered set point that changed in concert so more protracted correlated faster running. turning, whiskers moved an asymmetric manner, retracted whisker positions turn direction other side. Under some conditions, were phase-coupled strides. We simulated corridor, consisting two moveable walls controlled closed-loop by speed direction. Mice used their track winding corridor without training. Whisker curvature changes, which cause forces follicles base whiskers, tightly coupled distance from walls. Our behavioral allows precise sensorimotor variables during navigation.