THURSDAY, Dec. 26, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Virtual reality headsets like teh Meta Quest or Apple Vision Pro will be a Christmas gift in more than one home this year.

Now mice are getting in on the action.

researchers have developed a set of VR goggles for lab mice for use in brain studies, according to a report published recently in the journal Nature Methods.

these VR goggles will allow scientists to provide immersive experiences for the mice, while capturing fluorescent images of the rodents’ brain activity.

The goggles — which dwarf the tiny mice in size — were built using low-cost, off-the-shelf components like smartwatch displays adn tiny lenses, researchers said.

“It definitely benefited from the hacker ethos of taking parts that are built for something else and then applying it to some new context,” co-lead investigator Matthew isaacson, a post-doctoral researcher at Cornell University, said in a news release from the college.

“The perfect size display, as it turns out, for a mouse VR headset is pretty much already made for smart watches,” Isaacson continued. “We were lucky that we didn’t need to build or design anything from scratch. We could easily source all the inexpensive parts we needed.”

Mice are frequently used in studies of brain activity.

About a decade ago, researchers began rigging up clunky projector screens for mice as a means of creating virtual reality environments, but these devices frequently created so much light and noise that they spoiled experiments, researchers said.

“The more immersive we can make that behavioral task, the more naturalistic of a brain function we’re going to be studying,” senior researcher Chris Schaffer, a professor of biomedical engineering at Cornell, said in a news release.

The new VR setup, called MouseGoggles, requires a mouse to stand on a ball-shaped treadmill with its head fixed in place. The headset is attached to its head and held in place with a rod while the mouse skitters about on the treadmill.

To see if the headset worked, researchers projected the image of an expanding dark blotch that appeared to be approaching the mice.

“When we tried this kind of a test in the typical VR setup with big screens, the mice did not react at all,” Isaacson said. “But almost every single mouse, the first time they see it with the goggles, they jump. They have a huge startle reaction. They really did seem to think they were getting attacked by a looming predator.”

The researchers also examined two key brain regions to make sure the VR images were working properly.

results from the primary visual cortex confirmed that the goggles form sharp, high-contrast images that mice can see, and readings from the hippocampus confirmed that mice are successfully mapping the virtual habitat provided them.

These VR goggles could be used to help study brain activity that occurs as mammals — be they mice or men — move around their environment, perhaps giving researchers new insights into disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, the study’s authors said.

researchers plan to further develop the goggles, including a lightweight mobile version that could be worn around by larger lab rodents like rats. they also want to see if they can incorporate more senses into the VR experience,like taste and smell.

“I think five-sense virtual reality for mice is a direction to go for experiments,” Schaffer said, “where we’re trying to understand these really complex behaviors, where mice are integrating sensory information, comparing the possibility with internal motivational states, like the need for rest and food, and then

Virtual Reality Tech Offers Glimpse into Brain’s Decision-Making Process

Researchers have made a significant breakthrough in understanding how the brain makes decisions, utilizing modified virtual reality technology to measure brain activity in real-time. this innovative approach offers unprecedented insights into the complex neural processes underlying our choices,potentially revolutionizing fields ranging from psychology to neuroscience.

The study, detailed in a recent Cornell University press release, employed a novel VR system capable of tracking brain activity while participants navigated virtual environments.This allowed scientists to observe the intricate interplay of brain regions involved in decision-making, providing a far more nuanced understanding than previously possible.

according to the research, the technology provides a window into the “neural correlates of decision-making,” allowing researchers to observe the brain’s activity as individuals grapple with choices. One researcher noted, “This new technology allows us to see, in real-time, how different brain regions interact as people are making decisions about how to behave.”

The implications of this research are far-reaching. A better understanding of decision-making processes could lead to improved treatments for neurological disorders affecting cognitive function, such as Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease.Furthermore, the technology could have applications in fields like marketing and consumer behavior, offering insights into how individuals respond to different stimuli.

Further Exploration: The Future of Brain-Computer Interfaces

The University of Texas at Austin is also at the forefront of this exciting field, conducting further research into the intersection of virtual reality and brain activity. Their work explores the potential of VR headsets as tools for measuring and potentially even influencing brain function. You can learn more about their groundbreaking research here.

This innovative technology represents a significant leap forward in our ability to understand the human brain. As research continues, we can anticipate even more profound discoveries about the intricate processes that shape our thoughts, actions, and ultimately, our lives.

This article was originally published on December 18, 2024.

Taking VR to new Heights: A Tiny Headset Opens Doors for Brain Research

this holiday season, virtual reality headsets are bringing immersive experiences to homes across the world. But while humans are enjoying the latest VR games and entertainment, a new progress is taking the technology into the realm of scientific revelation. researchers have created specialized VR goggles for mice, paving the way for groundbreaking insights into brain function.

Q&A with Dr. Elena Ramirez, Neuroscientist at the University of California, Berkeley

Senior Editor: Dr.Ramirez, thank you so much for joining us today. Can you tell our readers about this fascinating new development in neuroscience?



Dr. Ramirez: Of course! It’s an exciting time to be in this field. Scientists at Cornell University have engineered miniature VR headsets specifically designed for lab mice. These goggles allow researchers to present immersive virtual environments to the mice while simultaneously recording their brain activity.



Senior Editor: That’s astonishing! How exactly does this technology work, and what makes it different from previous methods?



Dr. Ramirez: Previously,researchers attempted to create VR experiences for mice using large projector screens. However, these setups often generated too much light and noise, disrupting the experiments. The new headsets, dubbed “MouseGoggles,” are much more elegant. They use tiny displays originally designed for smartwatches and lenses similar to those found in eyeglasses, all assembled in a compact and lightweight design.



senior Editor: What are the potential implications of this breakthrough for our understanding of the brain?



Dr. Ramirez: This technology opens up incredible possibilities. By presenting mice with controlled virtual environments, researchers can study how individual neurons and brain regions respond to specific stimuli.



For example,they can observe how the brain processes details about movement,spatial awareness,or even social interactions within the virtual world.



Senior Editor: This sounds like it might vrey well be notably valuable for research into neurological disorders, wouldn’t it?



Dr. Ramirez: Absolutely. By studying how the brains of healthy mice react to virtual environments, we can gain a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and autism.



Furthermore, researchers can manipulate the virtual experiences to simulate specific symptoms or environments experienced by patients, possibly leading to the development of new therapies or treatments.



Senior Editor:



Are there any plans to expand this technology beyond mice?



Dr. Ramirez:



Definitely! The researchers are already working on developing lighter, more versatile versions of the headset suitable for larger rodents, like rats. Ultimately, they hope to incorporate additional sensory elements, like taste and smell, to create a more complete and naturalistic VR experience for the animals.



Senior Editor: Dr. Ramirez, thank you so much for sharing your insights with us today. It’s clear that this new VR technology holds tremendous promise for advancing our understanding of the brain and ultimately improving human health.