FixGrower: An efficient and robust curriculum for shaping fixation behavior in rodents.

ABSTRACT: Center-port fixation is a common prerequisite for many freely-moving rodent tasks in neuroscience and psychology. However, typical protocols for shaping this behavior are non-standardized and inefficient. Moreover, motor errors in fixation termed 'violations' often account for a significant fraction of experimental trials, leading to notable data loss during experiments. In light of this, we developed FixGrower, a standardized protocol for center-port fixation training. FixGrower (1) requires a longer initial fixation requirement, (2) increases the required fixation duration at session boundaries customized to each animals' performance, and (3) delays the introduction of violation penalties until the end of training. We demonstrate FixGrower decreases training time by

SUBMITTER: Breda JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12458449 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature