An Open-Source Automated Rodent Paradigm for Forelimb Movement in Motor Control, Executive Functions, and Learning Studies Publisher



Mirfathollahi A^{1, 2} ; Ghodrati MT² ; Shalchyan V² ; Zarrindast MR^{1, 3} ; Daliri MR^{1, 2}
Source: Heliyon Published:2025

Abstract

Reaching tasks are frequently employed in studies investigating cognitive functions, motor control, and brain-computer interfaces. The center-out task, a subtype of reaching movement, is widely utilized in research and previous studies have shown that rats can effectively learn to perform this task. However, the labor-intensive and time-consuming nature of training rats in such tasks has posed limitations on rodent studies in this domain. This paper introduces an Automated Rodent Center-Out Task (ARCOT) paradigm designed for training rats in the center-out task across all directions, enabling efficient experimentation. The system provides customizability and extensibility, rendering it a suitable and cost-effective solution for diverse experiments related to forelimb movement, executive functions, and learning studies. We explored three training strategies and assessed their effectiveness. Results indicate that a resuming paradigm is effective in training rodents for tasks of varying difficulty. © 2025 The Authors