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Distributed cortical recordings to explore the role of cortex in freely moving rats playing a Videogame

Calcaterra, Lorenza; (2021) Distributed cortical recordings to explore the role of cortex in freely moving rats playing a Videogame. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London). Green open access

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Abstract

An organism’s behaviour is a continuous stream of actions and reactions to the changing demands of a complex, unpredictable environment. We are able to approximate different levels of complexity within the laboratory by using a set-up that we call Videogame, a closedloop back-projection display assay that engages freely moving Lister Hooded rats in increasingly complex and unpredictable tasks. Using a reactive data stream processing framework (Bonsai), we are able to control, in closed-loop many parameters of the environment in response to the rat’s behaviour, thus generating a rich-yet-controlled dataset for quantitative behavioural analysis. Rats successfully and quickly learn to ‘play’ different levels of the Videogame in a naturalistic fashion, foraging and hunting for virtual objects randomly appearing on a floor projection screen. Rats’ performance in each level, provides us with evidence that they develop a deep understanding of the proprieties of the virtual objects. In fact, they adapt and change their speed of approach to the virtual object, whether it is to forage or a moving prey to pursue. Overall, this assay proved to be an extremely flexible tool that allowed us to explore a wide range of behavioural repertoire and was used as substrate to investigate the role of cortex in solving rich and complex tasks like foraging and hunting. To fully interrogate the scope of neural activity underlying complex behaviours, we must record from multiple areas simultaneously. We therefore designed a new 11 shanks, 121 channel silicon probe for distributed cortical recording. We target the entire thickness of the rat cerebral cortex spanning from pre-motor to visual cortex. Each cortical layer can be monitored with an unprecedented distribution of recording sites to provide a unique picture of the cortical dynamics ongoing during complex visual motor tasks. Preliminary electrophysiological analysis of local field potential (LFP) does not show any LFP modulation around event of interest such as the touch of the virtual object. Interestingly, multi-unit activity (MUA) analysis shows clear event-related modulation that varies according to the brain region considered. These preliminary results will be presented along with corresponding behavioural analysis. As proof of concept, we were able to reveal both behavioural and cortical dynamics that occur during more naturalistic behaviours. As future perspectives, the Videogame proved to be a flexible tool for the development of a variety of complex behavioural tasks bridging real and augmented world while the 11 shanks probe gave us the opportunity to showcase the cortical activity under a different light providing proof and reasoning for more experiments of this kind to happen.

Type: Thesis (Doctoral)
Qualification: Ph.D
Title: Distributed cortical recordings to explore the role of cortex in freely moving rats playing a Videogame
Event: UCL (University College London)
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © The Author 2021. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > The Sainsbury Wellcome Centre
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10140655
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