A contextual fear conditioning paradigm in head-fixed mice exploring virtual reality.

ABSTRACT: Contextual fear conditioning (CFC) is a classical laboratory task that tests associative memory formation and recall. Techniques such as multi-photon microscopy and holographic stimulation offer tremendous opportunities to understand the neural underpinnings of these memories. However, these techniques generally require animals to be head-fixed. Few paradigms examine contextual fear in head-fixed mice, and none use freezing-the most common measure of fear in freely moving animals-as the behavioral readout. To address this gap, we developed a CFC paradigm for head-fixed mice using virtual reality (VR). We designed an apparatus to deliver tail shocks while mice navigated a VR environment. We tested three versions of this paradigm and, in all of them, observed increased freezing, particularly

SUBMITTER: Krishnan S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12173461 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature