Chen Chia-Chien, Gilmore Anthony, Zuo Yi
Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz.
Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz;
J Vis Exp. 2014 Mar 4(85):51238. doi: 10.3791/51238.
Reaching for and retrieving objects require precise and coordinated motor movements in the forelimb. When mice are repeatedly trained to grasp and retrieve food rewards positioned at a specific location, their motor performance (defined as accuracy and speed) improves progressively over time, and plateaus after persistent training. Once such reaching skill is mastered, its further maintenance does not require constant practice. Here we introduce a single-pellet reaching task to study the acquisition and maintenance of skilled forelimb movements in mice. In this video, we first describe the behaviors of mice that are commonly encountered in this learning and memory paradigm, and then discuss how to categorize these behaviors and quantify the observed results. Combined with mouse genetics, this paradigm can be utilized as a behavioral platform to explore the anatomical underpinnings, physiological properties, and molecular mechanisms of learning and memory.
伸手抓取和获取物体需要前肢精确且协调的运动。当小鼠被反复训练去抓取和获取放置在特定位置的食物奖励时，它们的运动表现（定义为准确性和速度）会随着时间的推移而逐渐提高，并在持续训练后达到平稳状态。一旦掌握了这种伸手技能，其进一步的维持并不需要持续练习。在这里，我们引入了一种单颗粒伸手任务来研究小鼠熟练前肢运动的习得和维持。在本视频中，我们首先描述在这种学习和记忆范式中常见的小鼠行为，然后讨论如何对这些行为进行分类以及量化观察结果。结合小鼠遗传学，这种范式可作为一个行为平台，用于探索学习和记忆的解剖学基础、生理特性及分子机制。
