Automating licking bias correction in a two-choice delayed match-to-sample task to accelerate learning
Abstract Animals often display choice bias, or a preference for one option over the others, which can significantly impede learning new tasks. Delayed match-to-sample (DMS) tasks with two-alternative choices of lickports on the left and right have been widely used to study sensory processing, workin...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-49862-z |
| _version_ | 1797377028315414528 |
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| author | Jongrok Do Min Whan Jung Doyun Lee |
| author_facet | Jongrok Do Min Whan Jung Doyun Lee |
| author_sort | Jongrok Do |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Animals often display choice bias, or a preference for one option over the others, which can significantly impede learning new tasks. Delayed match-to-sample (DMS) tasks with two-alternative choices of lickports on the left and right have been widely used to study sensory processing, working memory, and associative memory in head-fixed animals. However, extensive training time, primarily due to the animals' biased licking responses, limits their practical utility. Here, we present the implementation of an automated side bias correction system in an olfactory DMS task, where the lickport positions and the ratio of left- and right-rewarded trials are dynamically adjusted to counterbalance mouse’s biased licking responses during training. The correction algorithm moves the preferred lickport farther away from the mouse’s mouth and the non-preferred lickport closer, while also increasing the proportion of non-preferred side trials when biased licking occurs. We found that adjusting lickport distances and the proportions of left- versus right-rewarded trials effectively reduces the mouse’s side bias. Further analyses reveal that these adjustments also correlate with subsequent improvements in behavioral performance. Our findings suggest that the automated side bias correction system is a valuable tool for enhancing the applicability of behavioral tasks involving two-alternative lickport choices. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:47:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2580d9284da045a5bd98a571b18e3026 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:47:07Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-2580d9284da045a5bd98a571b18e30262023-12-24T12:16:38ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-12-0113111510.1038/s41598-023-49862-zAutomating licking bias correction in a two-choice delayed match-to-sample task to accelerate learningJongrok Do0Min Whan Jung1Doyun Lee2Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and TechnologyCenter for Cognition and Sociality, Institute for Basic ScienceAbstract Animals often display choice bias, or a preference for one option over the others, which can significantly impede learning new tasks. Delayed match-to-sample (DMS) tasks with two-alternative choices of lickports on the left and right have been widely used to study sensory processing, working memory, and associative memory in head-fixed animals. However, extensive training time, primarily due to the animals' biased licking responses, limits their practical utility. Here, we present the implementation of an automated side bias correction system in an olfactory DMS task, where the lickport positions and the ratio of left- and right-rewarded trials are dynamically adjusted to counterbalance mouse’s biased licking responses during training. The correction algorithm moves the preferred lickport farther away from the mouse’s mouth and the non-preferred lickport closer, while also increasing the proportion of non-preferred side trials when biased licking occurs. We found that adjusting lickport distances and the proportions of left- versus right-rewarded trials effectively reduces the mouse’s side bias. Further analyses reveal that these adjustments also correlate with subsequent improvements in behavioral performance. Our findings suggest that the automated side bias correction system is a valuable tool for enhancing the applicability of behavioral tasks involving two-alternative lickport choices.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-49862-z |
| spellingShingle | Jongrok Do Min Whan Jung Doyun Lee Automating licking bias correction in a two-choice delayed match-to-sample task to accelerate learning Scientific Reports |
| title | Automating licking bias correction in a two-choice delayed match-to-sample task to accelerate learning |
| title_full | Automating licking bias correction in a two-choice delayed match-to-sample task to accelerate learning |
| title_fullStr | Automating licking bias correction in a two-choice delayed match-to-sample task to accelerate learning |
| title_full_unstemmed | Automating licking bias correction in a two-choice delayed match-to-sample task to accelerate learning |
| title_short | Automating licking bias correction in a two-choice delayed match-to-sample task to accelerate learning |
| title_sort | automating licking bias correction in a two choice delayed match to sample task to accelerate learning |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-49862-z |
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