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A spherical treadmill system to train head-fixed adult rats
Anabel M M Miguelez Fernández1, Ariel Burman2, Alfredo I Martínez Cáceres3
1Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (IBYME-CONICET), Vuelta de Obligado 2490, C1428ADN, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas, CONICET, Godoy Cruz 2290, C1425FQB, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Journal of Neuroscience Methods
|December 31, 2017
Summary
Researchers developed a novel head-fixed spherical treadmill for rats, enabling natural movement during experiments. This system allows rats to perform motor tasks and spatial navigation, advancing neuroscience research.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Animal Behavior
- Experimental Apparatus Design
Background:
- Spherical treadmills are common in mouse studies but limited for adult rats, especially with head-fixation.
- Existing setups for rats lack head-fixation capabilities, restricting experimental paradigms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a new spherical treadmill apparatus specifically designed for head-fixed adult rats.
- To enable a wide range of natural motor responses and behaviors in head-fixed rats during treadmill locomotion.
Main Methods:
- A novel spherical treadmill apparatus was designed, featuring a freely rotating sphere supported by spherical bearings for smooth, multi-directional movement.
- Rats were secured to a frame while head-fixed, allowing locomotion on the sphere.
- Movement was tracked using a video camera observing a dot pattern on the sphere.
Main Results:
- Rats were trained on an auditory Go/No-Go discrimination task (walking/not-walking).
- Animals successfully discriminated between 1 kHz and 8 kHz auditory stimuli.
- Learning criterion (80% correct responses) was achieved in approximately 20 training sessions.
Conclusions:
- The developed system successfully integrates head-fixation with spherical treadmill locomotion for adult rats.
- This apparatus expands experimental possibilities for studying spatial navigation and motor control in rats.
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