Surprisingly, researchers have utilized virtual reality to study lab mice brain activity. Previously, they surrounded mice with flat displays, limiting realism. Northwestern University's team innovatively developed tiny VR goggles for mice, enabling immersive simulations of overhead threats and brain activity mapping.
Excited to share iMRSIV, immersive VR goggles for mice: https://t.co/eaNZwXEm3E
— John (@issa_scientist) December 8, 2023
This work was enabled by the great team assembled, as it required both creativity and technical prowess: Dom Pinke, Greg Dobos, Gabe Dara, @DanielDombeck pic.twitter.com/YZVmGVhKIu
Lab Animals in Virtual Reality
Researchers face challenges observing real-time brain activity in animals interacting with the natural world, leading to the integration of virtual reality (VR) in laboratory settings.
In these experiments, animals navigate scenarios, like virtual mazes, projected onto surrounding screens using a treadmill. By keeping animals stationary on the treadmill, neurobiologists can study and map brain activity as the animal engages with a virtual environment, providing insights into how activated neural circuits encode information during various behaviors.
Despite the success of this VR system, there is a need for extensive training to capture the animals' attention and immerse them in the virtual environment, raising the possibility that the level of engagement might not match that in a real-world setting.
Neurobiologist Mark Dombeck notes that VR effectively reproduces real environments, but achieving the same level of immersion as in the natural world requires substantial effort to train animals to focus on screens and disregard the laboratory surroundings.
iMRSIV: VR Goggles Made for Lab Mice
The Miniature Rodent Stereo Illumination VR (iMRSIV) system, developed by researchers at Northwestern University, presents a notable advancement in studying brain activity in lab mice. Differing from conventional VR headsets for humans, this system positions tiny goggles at the front of a treadmill, enveloping the mouse's entire field of view.
During tests, the mice demonstrated a quicker adaptation to the immersive VR environment, showcasing a leap in advancement compared to existing systems that use computer screens or projections.
The custom-designed goggles overcome limitations by eliminating the visibility of the lab environment behind screens and offering a three-dimensional (3D) depth, enabling more accurate studies of neural circuitry and behavior.
To replicate natural scenarios, researchers projected expanding dark spots on the top of the displays, simulating overhead threats like birds. This method allowed the observation and recording of both outward physical responses, such as freezing or speeding up, and neural activity.
The ability to simulate overhead threats distinguishes the iMRSIV system from previous setups and offers insights into understanding how the human brain reacts to repeated exposure to VR. The research marks a groundbreaking achievement, being the first instance of a VR system simulating an overhead threat, opening avenues for further exploration in behavioral studies and neuroscience.
The iMRSIV system's innovative design addresses existing limitations, providing a more immersive and naturalistic environment for lab mice, which could significantly impact the accuracy and efficiency of studies in behavioral neuroscience.
As the popularity of VR continues to grow, this pioneering technology not only enhances our understanding of animal behavior but also holds potential implications for advancing research into the human brain's response to VR exposure.
The research, titled "Full field-of-view virtual reality goggles for mice" published in the journal Neuron, underscores the system's potential to revolutionize the field of neuroscience and behavioral studies.
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