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Visiomode: An open-source platform for building rodent touchscreen-based behavioral assays.
- Source :
-
Journal of neuroscience methods [J Neurosci Methods] 2023 Feb 15; Vol. 386, pp. 109779. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Jan 05. - Publication Year :
- 2023
-
Abstract
- Background: Touchscreen-based behavioral assays provide a robust method for assessing cognitive behavior in rodents, offering great flexibility and translational potential. The development of touchscreen assays presents a significant programming and mechanical engineering challenge, where commercial solutions can be prohibitively expensive and open-source solutions are underdeveloped, with limited adaptability.<br />New Method: Here, we present Visiomode (www.visiomode.org), an open-source platform for building rodent touchscreen-based behavioral tasks. Visiomode leverages the inherent flexibility of touchscreens to offer a simple yet adaptable software and hardware platform. The platform is built on the Raspberry Pi computer combining a web-based interface and powerful plug-in system with an operant chamber that can be adapted to generate a wide range of behavioral tasks.<br />Results: As a proof of concept, we use Visiomode to build both simple stimulus-response and more complex visual discrimination tasks, showing that mice display rapid sensorimotor learning including switching between different motor responses (i.e., nose poke versus reaching).<br />Comparison With Existing Methods: Commercial solutions are the 'go to' for rodent touchscreen behaviors, but the associated costs can be prohibitive, limiting their uptake by the wider neuroscience community. While several open-source solutions have been developed, efforts so far have focused on reducing the cost, rather than promoting ease of use and adaptability. Visiomode addresses these unmet needs providing a low-cost, extensible platform for creating touchscreen tasks.<br />Conclusions: Developing an open-source, rapidly scalable and low-cost platform for building touchscreen-based behavioral assays should increase uptake across the science community and accelerate the investigation of cognition, decision-making and sensorimotor behaviors both in health and disease.<br />Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no declarations of competing interest.<br /> (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1872-678X
- Volume :
- 386
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Journal of neuroscience methods
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 36621552
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneumeth.2022.109779