A novel behavioral paradigm using mice to study predictive postural control

Postural control circuitry performs the essential function of maintaining balance and body position in response to perturbations that are either self-generated (e.g. reaching to pick up an object) or externally delivered (e.g. being pushed by another person). Human studies have shown that anticipation of predictable postural disturbances can modulate such responses. This indicates that postural control could involve higher-level neural structures associated with predictive functions, rather than being purely reactive. However, the underlying neural circuitry remains largely unknown. To enable studies of predictive postural control circuits, we developed a novel experimental paradigm for mice. In this paradigm, modeled after human studies, a dynamic platform generated reproducible translational perturbations. While mice stood bipedally atop a perch to receive water rewards, they experienced backward translations that were either unpredictable or preceded by an auditory cue. To validate the paradigm, we investigated the effect of the auditory cue on postural responses to perturbations across multiple days in three mice. These preliminary results serve to validate a new postural control experimental paradigm, opening the door to the types of neural recordings and circuit manipulations that are currently possible in mice. Significance StatementThe ability to anticipate disturbances and adjust ones posture accordingly--known as "predictive postural control"--is crucial for preventing falls and for advancing robotics. While human balance is often assessed via floor perturbations, rodent studies typically use rotarod tests. Here, we developed a postural perturbation task for freely moving mice, modeled after those used in human studies. Using a dynamic platform, we delivered reproducible perturbations with or without preceding auditory cues and quantified how the auditory cue affects postural responses to perturbations. Our work provides validation of a new postural control experimental paradigm, which opens the door to the types of neural population recordings and circuit manipulation that are currently possible in mice.