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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 28, 2026

A Gaze-Contingent Display Framework for Perceptual Learning Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss
07:12

A Gaze-Contingent Display Framework for Perceptual Learning Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss

Published on: April 11, 2025

Active sensing during a visual perceptual decision-making task.

Naureen Ghani1, Angela Yaxuan Yang1,

  • 1Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behavior, University College London, London W1T 4JG, UK.

Iscience
|May 27, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Mice use active sensing in vision, wiggling a wheel to improve performance on visual tasks. This behavior enhances their ability to detect low-contrast stimuli, demonstrating sophisticated visual perception strategies in rodents.

Keywords:
behavioral neuroscience

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Animal Behavior
  • Sensory Perception

Background:

  • Rodent intelligence is often demonstrated through movement, influencing sensory input in touch and audition.
  • The role of self-generated movement in visual sensory processing in rodents remains less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether head-fixed mice exhibit active sensing strategies in a visual perceptual decision-making task.
  • To determine if active movement enhances visual performance in rodents.

Main Methods:

  • Head-fixed mice performed a visual perceptual decision-making task with low-contrast stimuli.
  • Mice controlled stimulus movement by wiggling a wheel, mimicking active sensing.
  • The effect of task contingency and visuo-motor coupling on behavior was perturbed.

Main Results:

  • Some mice spontaneously developed a 'wiggle' behavior, controlling stimulus movement.
  • This active sensing strategy significantly increased accuracy in low-contrast visual trials.
  • The stimulus movement frequency (11.5 ± 2.5 Hz) optimized rodent contrast sensitivity.
  • Wiggle behavior decreased when task contingency or visuo-motor coupling was perturbed.

Conclusions:

  • Head-fixed mice can employ active sensing strategies in visual tasks.
  • Active sensing via controlled stimulus movement enhances visual perception in mice.
  • These findings provide evidence for active visual sensing in rodent models.