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Virtual reality testing on rats to reveal insights into human brain

UCLA researchers are developing virtual reality for rats to better understand human spatial perception.

Researchers in the lab of Mayank Mehta, a professor of neurology and neurobiology, placed rats in small cylindrical containers and used a projector to simulate a cubical room with distinct visual patterns on each wall. Rats moved on a spherical treadmill and navigated through the virtual world toward virtual landmarks. Once they reached the landmark, they received a sugar water reward.

The team implanted electrodes in the rats’ brains to record when specific neurons fire at different positions in the room.

Researchers also placed the rats in a real, nonsimulated room identical to the virtual world and measured their neural activity. They then compared data from the virtual world to data from the nonsimulated room. The team found neurons behaved very differently in the virtual world than in the real world.

Chinmay Purandare, a graduate student in the lab, said rats are still able to move through the virtual world when the neurons do not behave as expected. He said this suggests spatial perception is determined by more than just visual and auditory senses.

Mehta, head of the research group, said he thinks the research will improve understanding of how the brain maps out space. He also said the findings can be applied to help cure neurological disorders, such as autism, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease, ....

See the full story here: http://dailybruin.com/2019/02/24/virtual-reality-testing-on-rats-to-reveal-insights-into-human-brain/