An Open-Source 3D-Printable Platform for Testing Head-Fixed Cognitive Flexibility in Rodents

Abstract

The study of the neural circuitry underlying complex mammalian decision-making, particularly cognitive flexibility, is critical for understanding psychiatric disorders. To test cognitive flexibility, as well as potentially other decision-making paradigms involving multimodal sensory perception, we developed FlexRig, an open-source, modular behavioral platform for use in head-fixed mice. FlexRig enables the administration of tasks relying upon olfactory, somatosensory, and/or auditory cues and employing left and right licking as a behavior readout and reward delivery mechanism. The platform includes hardware and software components that are customizable, scalable, and portable, supporting a variety of behavioral assays. Using FlexRig, we established a head-fixed task to model attentional set-shifting, offering a new tool for neuroscience research that enhances the capacity for investigation of cognitive processes and their neural substrates, with broad applications in translational neuroscience.