匈牙利实验医学研究所Balázs Rózsa研究团队开发出一种结合立体视觉的用于小鼠的沉浸式虚拟现实系统。该项研究成果于2024年12月12日在线发表在《自然—方法学》杂志上。

研究人员开发了Moculus，一种为小鼠设计的头戴式虚拟现实平台，能够覆盖整个视觉领域，支持双眼深度感知和完全的视觉沉浸。该可控环境结合三维（3D）走廊和3D物体，以及3D声光成像技术，能够在一次测量中实现快速的视觉学习并揭示回路基础。

通过强化反馈，控制和与强化相关的视觉线索编码神经元群体会短暂地扩展到接近饱和的水平。这增强了计算能力，并允许编码行为相关信息的神经元群体之间的竞争。这些编码群体形成了部分正交且重叠的簇，簇心围绕着响应更强、响应更早的核心细胞，同时局部增加了功能连接性。

据悉，由于技术障碍，目前尚不清楚视觉回路如何表示多个特征，或如何选择与行为相关的表示用于长期记忆。

附：英文原文

Title: Moculus: an immersive virtual reality system for mice incorporating stereo vision

Author: Judk, Linda, Dobos, Gergely, csai, Katalin, Bthory, Eszter, Szebik, Huba, Tarjn, Balzs, Mak, Pl, Szadai, Zoltn, Takcs, Istvn, Chiovini, Balzs, Lrincz, Tibor, Szepesi, ron, Roska, Botond, Szalay, Gergely, Rzsa, Balzs

Issue&Volume: 2024-12-12

Abstract: Due to technical roadblocks, it is unclear how visual circuits represent multiple features or how behaviorally relevant representations are selected for long-term memory. Here we developed Moculus, a head-mounted virtual reality platform for mice that covers the entire visual field, and allows binocular depth perception and full visual immersion. This controllable environment, with three-dimensional (3D) corridors and 3D objects, in combination with 3D acousto-optical imaging, affords rapid visual learning and the uncovering of circuit substrates in one measurement session. Both the control and reinforcement-associated visual cue coding neuronal assemblies are transiently expanded by reinforcement feedback to near-saturation levels. This increases computational capability and allows competition among assemblies that encode behaviorally relevant information. The coding assemblies form partially orthogonal and overlapping clusters centered around hub cells with higher and earlier ramp-like responses, as well as locally increased functional connectivity.

DOI: 10.1038/s41592-024-02554-6

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-024-02554-6