Rapid learning of the 5-choice serial reaction time task in an automated rodent training system

Experiments aiming to understand sensory-motor systems, cognition and behavior often require animals trained to perform complex tasks. Traditional training protocols require lab personnel to move the animals between home cages and training chambers, to start and end training sessions, and in some cases, to hand-control each training trial. Human labor not only limits the amount of training per day, but also introduces several sources of variability and may increase animal stress. Here we present an automated training system for the 5-choice serial reaction time task (5CSRTT), a classic rodent task often used to test sensory detection, sustained attention and impulsivity. We found that fully automated training without human intervention greatly increased the speed and efficiency of learning, and decreased stress as measured by corticosterone levels. Introducing training breaks did not cancel these beneficial effects of automated training, and mice readily generalized across training systems when transferred from automated to manual protocols. Additionally, we validated our automated training system with mice implanted with wireless optogenetic stimulators, expanding the breadth of experimental needs our system may fulfill. Our automated 5CSRTT system can serve as a prototype for fully automated behavioral training, with methods and principles transferrable to a range of rodent tasks.