Mouse headset facilitates study of brain response to virtual reality

This year, virtual reality headsets like the Meta Quest and Apple Vision Pro will be Christmas gifts in several households.

Now the rats are starting to get in on the action.

Researchers have developed a set of VR goggles for lab mice used in brain research, according to a recent report published in the journal Nature Methods.

These VR goggles will allow scientists to capture fluorescent images of rodent brain activity while providing an immersive experience for mice.

Researchers say the goggles, which are smaller than a miniature mouse, are made using low-cost, off-the-shelf components, such as smartwatch displays and small lenses.

“We’ve definitely benefited from the hacker mentality of taking a piece that was made for another purpose and applying it to a new situation,” said co-principal investigator Matthew Isaacson, a postdoctoral researcher at Cornell University. ,” said Matthew Isaacson, a postdoctoral fellow at Cornell University and co-principal investigator. College.

“We found that the optimal display size for mouse VR headsets is almost always already made for smart watches,” Isaacson continued. “We were lucky that we didn’t have to build or design anything from scratch. We could easily source all the inexpensive parts we needed.”

Mice are often used to study brain activity.

About a decade ago, researchers began equipping mice with clunky projector screens as a means of creating virtual reality environments, but these devices often produced large amounts of light and noise, ruining experiments. researchers said.

“The more immersive we can make behavioral tasks, the more natural the brain functions we study,” senior researcher Chris Schaefer, professor of biomedical engineering at Cornell University, said in a news release. Ta.

A new VR setup called MouseGoggles requires you to place your mouse on a ball-shaped treadmill and keep your head steady. The headset is attached to the head and held in place by a rod while the mouse runs around on the treadmill.

To see if the headset worked, the researchers projected an image of an expanding black spot that appeared to be approaching the mouse.

“When we tried this type of testing in a typical VR setup with a large screen, the mouse was completely unresponsive,” Isaacson said. “But almost all the rats jump up when they see it with their goggles for the first time. They have a big surprise reaction. They really seemed to think they were being attacked by an oncoming predator. .”

The researchers also tested two key brain areas to ensure the VR images were working properly.

Results from the primary visual cortex confirm that the goggles form a sharp, high-contrast image that the mouse can see, and readings from the hippocampus indicate that the mouse successfully maps the virtual environment it is given. confirmed.

These VR goggles can be used to study the brain activity that occurs as mammals, whether mice or humans, move around, the study says, potentially giving researchers new insights into diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. the authors stated.

The researchers plan further development of the goggles, including a lightweight, mobile version that can be worn by large laboratory rodents such as rats. We also want to see if we can incorporate more senses into the VR experience, such as taste and smell.

“I think multi-sensory virtual reality in mice is the direction that experiments should go,” Schaefer said. Things like the need to rest and eat, and decisions about how to behave. ”

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