Abstract
Perceptual learning (PL) is a form of implicit learning that requires lengthy training in order to improve perceptual abilities. Without reliable automation, this can require arduous manual labor which can impede experimental progress. We developed an automated platform, the Educage, that enables PL of groups of mice training simultaneously in a home-cage environment. The system is low-cost, runs automatically for long durations, and allows a large degree of flexibility in experimental design. We used the Educage to train mice on a go/no-go auditory discrimination task. Mice were trained to discriminate between pure tone sequences or frequency modulated vocalizations. We found that gradually increasing cognitive load by manipulating task difficulty was necessary to improve learning outcomes. Task difficulty was also associated with increased decision times and decreased discrimination performances of individual animals. The Educage is a new tool for studying, among others, perceptual learning in mice.
Author contributions
I.M. and A.M. designed the experiments. Y.E. constructed the vocalization stimuli and software for their delivery. I.M. conducted experiments and analyzed the data. I.M. and A.M. wrote the paper. This work was supported by an ERCgrant to A.M.
Acknowledgements
We thank Israel Nelken and Livia de Hoz for help and suggestions in setting up the initial experiments. Special thanks to Yoni Cohen, David Pash and Joseph Jubran for writing the software code. We thank Yonatan Loewenstein, Merav Ahissar, and the Mizrahi lab members for comments on the manuscript.
Footnotes
Conflict of interest The authors report no conflict of interest.
This work was supported by an ERC consolidators grant to A.M (#616063).