Visuomotor Conditional Learning (VMCL) for Mice

Details

This is a habit or stimulus-response task in which the rodent learns a rule of the type "If shape A presented, respond to the left location; if shape B is presented, respond to the right location". This type of test is sensitive to damage in the dorsal striatum and is therefore relevant to Huntington's and Parkinson's disease.

Example Neural Systems Involved

• Dorsal Striatum
• Posterior Cingulate Cortex

Clinical Areas Showing Impairment

• Huntington's
• Parkinson's

Cognitive Functions Covered

• Learning

Typical Training Times (depends on strain and age)

• 1-2 weeks to train to touch the screen and initiate the task
• ~20 Sessions to train to criterion for task

Science

Princz-Lebel O, Wasserman D, Skirzewski M, MacDonald P, Bussey T, Saksida L. (2019) Optimization of the touchscreen-based visuomotor conditional learning task in mice. The Canadian Association for Neuroscience (CAN-ACN) Scientific Program. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: The Canadian Association for Neuroscience; 2019.

Delotterie D, Mathis C, Cassel JC, Dorner-Ciossek C, Marti A. (2014) Optimization of touchscreen-based behavioral paradigms in mice: implications for building a battery of tasks taxing learning and memory functions. PLoS One.; 9(6):e100817

Janisiewicz AM, Baxter MG. (2003) Transfer effects and conditional learning in rats with selective lesions of medial septal/diagonal band cholinergicneurons. Behav Neurosci.; 117(6):1342-1352.

Chudasama Y, Bussey TJ, Muir JL. (2001) Effects of selective thalamic and prelimbic cortex lesions on two types of visual discrimination and reversal learning. Eur J Neurosci.;14(6):1009-1020.

Bussey TJ, Duck J, Muir JL, Aggleton JP. (2000) Distinct patterns of behavioural impairments resulting from fornix transection or neurotoxic lesions of the perirhinal and postrhinal cortices in the rat. Behav Brain Res.; 111(1?2):187-202.

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