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Automated task training and longitudinal monitoring of mouse mesoscale cortical circuits using home cages

2020; eLife Sciences Publications Ltd; Volume: 9; Linguagem: Inglês

10.7554/elife.55964

2050-084X

Timothy H. Murphy, Nicholas J. Michelson, Jamie D. Boyd, Tony Fong, Luis Bolaños, David Bierbrauer, Teri Siu, Matilde Balbi, Federico Bolaños, Matthieu P. Vanni, Jeff M. LeDue,

Photoreceptor and optogenetics research

We report improved automated open-source methodology for head-fixed mesoscale cortical imaging and/or behavioral training of home cage mice using Raspberry Pi-based hardware. Staged partial and probabilistic restraint allows mice to adjust to self-initiated headfixation over 3 weeks’ time with ~50% participation rate. We support a cue-based behavioral licking task monitored by a capacitive touch-sensor water spout. While automatically head-fixed, we acquire spontaneous, movement-triggered, or licking task-evoked GCaMP6 cortical signals. An analysis pipeline marked both behavioral events, as well as analyzed brain fluorescence signals as they relate to spontaneous and/or task-evoked behavioral activity. Mice were trained to suppress licking and wait for cues that marked the delivery of water. Correct rewarded go-trials were associated with widespread activation of midline and lateral barrel cortex areas following a vibration cue and delayed frontal and lateral motor cortex activation. Cortical GCaMP signals predicted trial success and correlated strongly with trial-outcome dependent body movements.