1. Hippocampal-dependent navigation in head-fixed mice using a floating real-world environment.
- Author
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Stuart SA, Palacios-Filardo J, Domanski A, Udakis M, Duguid I, Jones MW, and Mellor JR
- Subjects
- Animals, Mice, Male, Pyramidal Cells physiology, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Membrane Potentials physiology, CA1 Region, Hippocampal physiology, Virtual Reality, Scopolamine pharmacology, Patch-Clamp Techniques methods, Spatial Navigation physiology, Maze Learning, Hippocampus physiology
- Abstract
Head-fixation of mice enables high-resolution monitoring of neuronal activity coupled with precise control of environmental stimuli. Virtual reality can be used to emulate the visual experience of movement during head fixation, but a low inertia floating real-world environment (mobile homecage, MHC) has the potential to engage more sensory modalities and provide a richer experimental environment for complex behavioral tasks. However, it is not known whether mice react to this adapted environment in a similar manner to real environments, or whether the MHC can be used to implement validated, maze-based behavioral tasks. Here, we show that hippocampal place cell representations are intact in the MHC and that the system allows relatively long (20 min) whole-cell patch clamp recordings from dorsal CA1 pyramidal neurons, revealing sub-threshold membrane potential dynamics. Furthermore, mice learn the location of a liquid reward within an adapted T-maze guided by 2-dimensional spatial navigation cues and relearn the location when spatial contingencies are reversed. Bilateral infusions of scopolamine show that this learning is hippocampus-dependent and requires intact cholinergic signalling. Therefore, we characterize the MHC system as an experimental tool to study sub-threshold membrane potential dynamics that underpin complex navigation behaviors., (© 2024. The Author(s).)
- Published
- 2024
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