Open Source Tools for Temporally Controlled Rodent Behavior Suitable for Electrophysiology and Optogenetic Manipulations

Understanding how the brain controls behavior requires observing and manipulating neural activity in awake behaving animals. Neuronal firing is timed at millisecond precision. Therefore, to decipher temporal coding, it is necessary to monitor and control animal behavior at the same level of temporal...

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Main Authors: Nicola Solari, Katalin Sviatkó, Tamás Laszlovszky, Panna Hegedüs, Balázs Hangya
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2018-05-01
Series:Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience
Subjects:
Online Access:http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnsys.2018.00018/full
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spelling doaj-5e068cce1db54aceb26fc32c60377ab02020-11-24T22:34:27ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience1662-51372018-05-011210.3389/fnsys.2018.00018346129Open Source Tools for Temporally Controlled Rodent Behavior Suitable for Electrophysiology and Optogenetic ManipulationsNicola Solari0Katalin Sviatkó1Katalin Sviatkó2Tamás Laszlovszky3Tamás Laszlovszky4Panna Hegedüs5Balázs Hangya6Lendület Laboratory of Systems Neuroscience, Department of Cellular and Network Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, HungaryLendület Laboratory of Systems Neuroscience, Department of Cellular and Network Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, HungaryJános Szentágothai Doctoral School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, HungaryLendület Laboratory of Systems Neuroscience, Department of Cellular and Network Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, HungaryJános Szentágothai Doctoral School of Neurosciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, HungaryLendület Laboratory of Systems Neuroscience, Department of Cellular and Network Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, HungaryLendület Laboratory of Systems Neuroscience, Department of Cellular and Network Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, HungaryUnderstanding how the brain controls behavior requires observing and manipulating neural activity in awake behaving animals. Neuronal firing is timed at millisecond precision. Therefore, to decipher temporal coding, it is necessary to monitor and control animal behavior at the same level of temporal accuracy. However, it is technically challenging to deliver sensory stimuli and reinforcers as well as to read the behavioral responses they elicit with millisecond precision. Presently available commercial systems often excel in specific aspects of behavior control, but they do not provide a customizable environment allowing flexible experimental design while maintaining high standards for temporal control necessary for interpreting neuronal activity. Moreover, delay measurements of stimulus and reinforcement delivery are largely unavailable. We combined microcontroller-based behavior control with a sound delivery system for playing complex acoustic stimuli, fast solenoid valves for precisely timed reinforcement delivery and a custom-built sound attenuated chamber using high-end industrial insulation materials. Together this setup provides a physical environment to train head-fixed animals, enables calibrated sound stimuli and precisely timed fluid and air puff presentation as reinforcers. We provide latency measurements for stimulus and reinforcement delivery and an algorithm to perform such measurements on other behavior control systems. Combined with electrophysiology and optogenetic manipulations, the millisecond timing accuracy will help interpret temporally precise neural signals and behavioral changes. Additionally, since software and hardware provided here can be readily customized to achieve a large variety of paradigms, these solutions enable an unusually flexible design of rodent behavioral experiments.http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnsys.2018.00018/fullsensory stimulusreinforcementmeasurement noisesound attenuationtemporal controlhead-fixed
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Nicola Solari
Katalin Sviatkó
Katalin Sviatkó
Tamás Laszlovszky
Tamás Laszlovszky
Panna Hegedüs
Balázs Hangya
spellingShingle Nicola Solari
Katalin Sviatkó
Katalin Sviatkó
Tamás Laszlovszky
Tamás Laszlovszky
Panna Hegedüs
Balázs Hangya
Open Source Tools for Temporally Controlled Rodent Behavior Suitable for Electrophysiology and Optogenetic Manipulations
Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience
sensory stimulus
reinforcement
measurement noise
sound attenuation
temporal control
head-fixed
author_facet Nicola Solari
Katalin Sviatkó
Katalin Sviatkó
Tamás Laszlovszky
Tamás Laszlovszky
Panna Hegedüs
Balázs Hangya
author_sort Nicola Solari
title Open Source Tools for Temporally Controlled Rodent Behavior Suitable for Electrophysiology and Optogenetic Manipulations
title_short Open Source Tools for Temporally Controlled Rodent Behavior Suitable for Electrophysiology and Optogenetic Manipulations
title_full Open Source Tools for Temporally Controlled Rodent Behavior Suitable for Electrophysiology and Optogenetic Manipulations
title_fullStr Open Source Tools for Temporally Controlled Rodent Behavior Suitable for Electrophysiology and Optogenetic Manipulations
title_full_unstemmed Open Source Tools for Temporally Controlled Rodent Behavior Suitable for Electrophysiology and Optogenetic Manipulations
title_sort open source tools for temporally controlled rodent behavior suitable for electrophysiology and optogenetic manipulations
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
series Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience
issn 1662-5137
publishDate 2018-05-01
description Understanding how the brain controls behavior requires observing and manipulating neural activity in awake behaving animals. Neuronal firing is timed at millisecond precision. Therefore, to decipher temporal coding, it is necessary to monitor and control animal behavior at the same level of temporal accuracy. However, it is technically challenging to deliver sensory stimuli and reinforcers as well as to read the behavioral responses they elicit with millisecond precision. Presently available commercial systems often excel in specific aspects of behavior control, but they do not provide a customizable environment allowing flexible experimental design while maintaining high standards for temporal control necessary for interpreting neuronal activity. Moreover, delay measurements of stimulus and reinforcement delivery are largely unavailable. We combined microcontroller-based behavior control with a sound delivery system for playing complex acoustic stimuli, fast solenoid valves for precisely timed reinforcement delivery and a custom-built sound attenuated chamber using high-end industrial insulation materials. Together this setup provides a physical environment to train head-fixed animals, enables calibrated sound stimuli and precisely timed fluid and air puff presentation as reinforcers. We provide latency measurements for stimulus and reinforcement delivery and an algorithm to perform such measurements on other behavior control systems. Combined with electrophysiology and optogenetic manipulations, the millisecond timing accuracy will help interpret temporally precise neural signals and behavioral changes. Additionally, since software and hardware provided here can be readily customized to achieve a large variety of paradigms, these solutions enable an unusually flexible design of rodent behavioral experiments.
topic sensory stimulus
reinforcement
measurement noise
sound attenuation
temporal control
head-fixed
url http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnsys.2018.00018/full
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