Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FLEXNEUROCOMP (Neural computations and dynamics of flexible decision-making in mice)
Reporting period: 2022-09-01 to 2024-12-31
The FLEXNEUROCOMP project explored how mice make decisions while searching for food. We wanted to understand how their brains flexibly choose between different approaches, both in terms of their actions and the brain activity involved. We used complex tasks where mice could use multiple strategies to find food, coupled with cutting-edge technology to record and influence the activity of many brain cells at once, across different brain areas.
A key focus was the area of the mouse brain called the "premotor cortex," which is thought to be involved in planning actions. We wanted to see if this region holds a "library" of different decision-making strategies and directs which one gets used for a given situation, ultimately influencing the mouse's actions.
A key focus was the area of the mouse brain called the "premotor cortex," which is thought to be involved in planning actions. We wanted to see if this region holds a "library" of different decision-making strategies and directs which one gets used for a given situation, ultimately influencing the mouse's actions.
The overall goal was to understand how mice switch between different decision-making strategies while searching for food, and to identify the brain mechanisms involved.
Aim I: Characterizing Strategy Switches:
Work: A computational model (using Hidden Markov Models) was developed to analyze how mice change their decision-making strategies during a single experimental session. This model was applied to existing behavioral data.
Achievements: The model successfully characterized these strategy switches. The work is described in a scientific paper currently under review at a prestigious journal (Nature Neuroscience).
Status: Completed.
Aim II: Identifying Brain Regions Involved:
Work: A new experimental setup was created where mice performed a food-searching task while their head movements were restricted. Behavioral data was collected from 16 mice over 200 sessions. A system for recording brain activity from multiple brain regions at once (using Neuropixels probes) was also established and tested.
Achievements: The successful development and testing of the behavioral task and recording system. The next step is to collect and analyze the brain activity data.
Status: Partially completed, with data collection and analysis still to be done.
Aim III: Investigating Brain Circuit Mechanisms:
Work: This aim planned to use optogenetics (a technique to control brain cell activity with light) to temporarily silence specific brain regions while recording brain activity. This would help determine how different brain areas interact to control decision-making.
Achievements: The necessary experimental setup (optogenetics apparatus) has not yet been established, and the experiments have not been performed.
Status: Not yet started.
Aim I: Characterizing Strategy Switches:
Work: A computational model (using Hidden Markov Models) was developed to analyze how mice change their decision-making strategies during a single experimental session. This model was applied to existing behavioral data.
Achievements: The model successfully characterized these strategy switches. The work is described in a scientific paper currently under review at a prestigious journal (Nature Neuroscience).
Status: Completed.
Aim II: Identifying Brain Regions Involved:
Work: A new experimental setup was created where mice performed a food-searching task while their head movements were restricted. Behavioral data was collected from 16 mice over 200 sessions. A system for recording brain activity from multiple brain regions at once (using Neuropixels probes) was also established and tested.
Achievements: The successful development and testing of the behavioral task and recording system. The next step is to collect and analyze the brain activity data.
Status: Partially completed, with data collection and analysis still to be done.
Aim III: Investigating Brain Circuit Mechanisms:
Work: This aim planned to use optogenetics (a technique to control brain cell activity with light) to temporarily silence specific brain regions while recording brain activity. This would help determine how different brain areas interact to control decision-making.
Achievements: The necessary experimental setup (optogenetics apparatus) has not yet been established, and the experiments have not been performed.
Status: Not yet started.
This project's results go beyond the current state of the art in neuroscience by providing new insights into cognitive flexibility, which is the ability to adapt to changing situations.