Posts Tagged: mice

Researchers made VR goggles for mice to study how their brains respond to swooping predators

Believe it or not, scientists have been using virtual reality setups to study brain activity in lab mice for years. In the past, this has been done by surrounding the mice with flat displays — a tactic that has obvious limitations for simulating a realistic environment. Now, in an attempt to create a more immersive experience, a team at Northwestern University actually developed tiny VR goggles that fit over a mouse’s face… and most of its body. This has allowed them to simulate overhead threats for the first time, and map the mice’s brain activity all the while.

The system, dubbed Miniature Rodent Stereo Illumination VR (or iMRSIV), isn’t strapped onto the mouse’s head like a VR headset for humans. Instead, the goggles are positioned at the front of a treadmill, surrounding the mouse’s entire field of view as it runs in place. “We designed and built a custom holder for the goggles,” said John Issa, the study’s co-first author. “The whole optical display — the screens and the lenses — go all the way around the mouse.”

What a mouse sees inside the VR goggles
Dom Pinke/ Northwestern University

In their tests, the researchers say the mice appeared to take to the new VR environment more quickly than they did with the past setups. To recreate the presence of overhead threats, like birds swooping in for a meal, the team projected expanding dark spots at the tops of the displays. The way they react to threats like this “is not a learned behavior; it’s an imprinted behavior,” said co-first author Dom Pinke. “It’s wired inside the mouse’s brain.”

With this method, the researchers were able to record both the mice’s outward physical responses, like freezing in place or speeding up, and their neural activity. In the future, they may flip the scenario and let the mice act as predators, to see what goes on as they hunt insects. A paper on the technique was published in the journal Neuron on Friday. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/researchers-made-vr-goggles-for-mice-to-study-how-their-brains-respond-to-swooping-predators-215927095.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Logitech mice, keyboards and accessories are up to 67 percent off for Black Friday

If you’re looking for an affordable gift to help your friend or loved one be more productive over the next year, Logitech’s mice and keyboards are never a bad starting point. With Black Friday around the corner, Amazon has discounted a selection of the company’s products. One of the highlights of the sale is the Signature M650. Engadget recommended the M650 in our recent holiday gift guide. After a 25 percent discount, the mouse is $ 30. The M650’s customization makes it a great stocking stuffer. Logitech offers the mouse in six colors, two different sizes and both right- and left-handed configurations, meaning you should have no problem finding one that will work for a friend or family member.

Buy Logitech Signature M650 at Amazon – $ 30

Another interesting option is the MX Anywhere 2S. At the moment, it’s $ 40, down from $ 60. The seven-button MX Anywhere 2S is notable for featuring support for Logitech’s Flow app. The software makes it possible to use the mouse with up to three computers at the same time. That’s useful if you use PCs with different operating systems installed on them since the Flow app allows you to easily move files, as well as copy and paste text and images. Even if that functionality doesn’t appeal to you, the MX Anywhere 2S has other things going for it, including a comfortable design and battery that can power the mouse for up to 70 hours.

Buy Logitech MX Anywhere 2S at Amazon – $ 40

The sale also includes Logitech’s multi-device keyboards. With Amazon’s promotion, you can get the K780 for $ 60 after a modest $ 5 discount, while the more affordable K480 is $ 30 after a $ 20 price cut. Like the MX Anywhere 2S, the K780 and K480 are useful if you want a peripheral that will work with more than one device. You can pair both keyboards with up to three devices and they feature handy slots for holding your phone or a small tablet in place. Of the two keyboards, the K780 is the more premium model and comes with a full set of numeric keys.

Buy Logitech K780 at Amazon – $ 60Buy Logitech K480 at Amazon – $ 30

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Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

Razer’s latest wireless mice promise low-lag gaming from $60

Razer is expanding its Basilisk mouse family with a pair of models that aim to make low-latency wireless mice both more accessible and more powerful. The most interesting model may be the affordable option, the six-button Basilisk X HyperSpeed (abov…
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3D-printed ovaries successfully produce healthy mice pups

Scientists all over the globe are working on the best way to 3D print different human organs for transplant. A team from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and McCormick School of Engineering, for instance, are developing 3D-printe…
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Lab-grown sperm cells have produced viable baby mice

Who run the world? Girls. Maybe quite literally, quite soon. Especially now that Chinese scientists have published a new study in the Journal Cell Stem Cell suggesting they’ve managed to engineer viable sperm from stem cells.

The post Lab-grown sperm cells have produced viable baby mice appeared first on Digital Trends.

Cool Tech–Digital Trends

Scientists extend the lifespan of mice by up to 35 percent

Would you like to live 35 percent longer? Apparently the trick is removing worn-out "senescent' cells that have a degenerative affect on your body. "Cellular senescence is a biological mechanism that functions as an 'emergency brake' used by damaged…
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