Skip to main content
bioRxiv
  • Home
  • About
  • Submit
  • ALERTS / RSS
Advanced Search
New Results

Virtual Reality system for freely-moving rodents.

Nicholas A. Del Grosso, Justin J. Graboski, Weiwei Chen, Eduardo Blanco Hernández, Anton Sirota
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/161232
Nicholas A. Del Grosso
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Justin J. Graboski
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Weiwei Chen
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Eduardo Blanco Hernández
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Anton Sirota
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: sirota@bio.lmu.de
  • Abstract
  • Info/History
  • Metrics
  • Preview PDF
Loading

Abstract

Spatial navigation, active sensing, and most cognitive functions rely on a tight link between motor output and sensory input. Virtual reality (VR) systems simulate the sensorimotor loop, allowing flexible manipulation of enriched sensory input. Conventional rodent VR systems provide 3D visual cues linked to restrained locomotion on a treadmill, leading to a mismatch between visual and most other sensory inputs, sensory-motor conflicts, as well as restricted naturalistic behavior. To rectify these limitations, we developed a VR system (ratCAVE) that provides realistic and low-latency visual feedback directly to head movements of completely unrestrained rodents. Immersed in this VR system, rats displayed naturalistic behavior by spontaneously interacting with and hugging virtual walls, exploring virtual objects, and avoiding virtual cliffs. We further illustrate the effect of ratCAVE-VR manipulation on hippocampal place fields. The newly-developed methodology enables a wide range of experiments involving flexible manipulation of visual feedback in freely-moving behaving animals.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY 4.0 International license.
Back to top
PreviousNext
Posted July 10, 2017.
Download PDF
Email

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about bioRxiv.

NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Virtual Reality system for freely-moving rodents.
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from bioRxiv
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the bioRxiv website.
Share
Virtual Reality system for freely-moving rodents.
Nicholas A. Del Grosso, Justin J. Graboski, Weiwei Chen, Eduardo Blanco Hernández, Anton Sirota
bioRxiv 161232; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/161232
Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
Citation Tools
Virtual Reality system for freely-moving rodents.
Nicholas A. Del Grosso, Justin J. Graboski, Weiwei Chen, Eduardo Blanco Hernández, Anton Sirota
bioRxiv 161232; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/161232

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Subject Area

  • Animal Behavior and Cognition
Subject Areas
All Articles
  • Animal Behavior and Cognition (999)
  • Biochemistry (1492)
  • Bioengineering (946)
  • Bioinformatics (6832)
  • Biophysics (2427)
  • Cancer Biology (1791)
  • Cell Biology (2529)
  • Clinical Trials (106)
  • Developmental Biology (1700)
  • Ecology (2573)
  • Epidemiology (1495)
  • Evolutionary Biology (5028)
  • Genetics (3622)
  • Genomics (4636)
  • Immunology (1171)
  • Microbiology (4252)
  • Molecular Biology (1626)
  • Neuroscience (10798)
  • Paleontology (82)
  • Pathology (240)
  • Pharmacology and Toxicology (409)
  • Physiology (555)
  • Plant Biology (1457)
  • Scientific Communication and Education (412)
  • Synthetic Biology (542)
  • Systems Biology (1876)
  • Zoology (259)