eLife (Apr 2021)

Creating and controlling visual environments using BonVision

  • Gonçalo Lopes,
  • Karolina Farrell,
  • Edward AB Horrocks,
  • Chi-Yu Lee,
  • Mai M Morimoto,
  • Tomaso Muzzu,
  • Amalia Papanikolaou,
  • Fabio R Rodrigues,
  • Thomas Wheatcroft,
  • Stefano Zucca,
  • Samuel G Solomon,
  • Aman B Saleem

DOI
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.65541
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10

Abstract

Read online

Real-time rendering of closed-loop visual environments is important for next-generation understanding of brain function and behaviour, but is often prohibitively difficult for non-experts to implement and is limited to few laboratories worldwide. We developed BonVision as an easy-to-use open-source software for the display of virtual or augmented reality, as well as standard visual stimuli. BonVision has been tested on humans and mice, and is capable of supporting new experimental designs in other animal models of vision. As the architecture is based on the open-source Bonsai graphical programming language, BonVision benefits from native integration with experimental hardware. BonVision therefore enables easy implementation of closed-loop experiments, including real-time interaction with deep neural networks, and communication with behavioural and physiological measurement and manipulation devices.

Keywords