Chapter 3 - Visuomotor learning deficits in a female mouse model of Rett syndrome
In this chapter, I leverage the Visiomode platform to explore whether female Mecp2+/- mice display visuomotor learning deficits prior to the onset of gross motor symptoms in a freely moving visual discrimination touchscreen task. Supplementary material include videos of nose-poke and forelimb reaching interactions with the touchscreen, as well as examples of the openfield and gridwalk tasks used as control measures of gross motor function.
Supplementary Figure 3.1.: Example nose-poke interaction
Example video of a mouse interacting with an early version of the touchscreen behavioural module. The fairly large window exposing the touchscreen does not preclude forelimb reaching responses, but mice prefer poking the screen with their nose nevertheless. Water rewards are dispensed at the bottom of the insert.
Supplementary Figure 3.2.: Example forelimb reaching interaction
Example of forelimb reaching using the slit insert described by Eleftheriou et al. 2022. The slits restrict the mouse’s ability to interact with the touchscreen, allowing only forelimb interactions.
Supplementary Figure 3.3.: Open-field arena tracking
The open-field arena tracking script at work. In days of yore, before DeepLabCut was the widespread success it is today, OpenCV’s trackers “did the job” without having to train a neural network at the expense of tracking fidelity.
Supplementary Figure 3.4.: Grid-walk task
Example mouse in the gridwalk control task. Forelimb and hindlimb “slips” were counted manually.