Versatile treadmill system for measuring locomotion and neural activity in head-fixed mice

Abstract

Summary: Here, we present a protocol for using a versatile treadmill system to measure locomotion and neural activity at high temporal resolution in head-fixed mice. We first describe the assembly of the treadmill system. We then detail surgical implantation of the headplate on the mouse skull, followed by habituation of mice to locomotion on the treadmill system. The system is compact, movable, and simple to synchronize with other data streams, making it ideal for monitoring brain activity in diverse behavioral frameworks.For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Rasmussen et al. (2019). : Publisher’s note: Undertaking any experimental protocol requires adherence to local institutional guidelines for laboratory safety and ethics.

Keywords

• Behavior
• Model organisms
• Neuroscience
• Systems biology