This project investigates how distributed brain circuits support rapid learning during reward-based sensorimotor decision-making. In a head-fixed behavioral paradigm, mice learn within a single session to respond appropriately to sensory stimuli associated with reward. The task relies on active whisker-based sensing, where mice detect sensory cues and receive feedback through whisker contact with the environment during learning. Using simultaneous Neuropixels recordings from multiple brain regions, the project will measure neuronal activity across the brain while animals perform the task, allowing researchers to examine how neural dynamics evolve during learning. By analyzing activity across cortical and subcortical structures, the study aims to reveal how sensory signals, whisker-based feedback, motor planning, and reward-related information interact across large-scale brain networks to guide behavior during learning.

The IBL Core will support the project by collaborating on the analysis of these large-scale electrophysiology datasets and by providing guidance on data management, electrophysiology data processing, and quality control procedures. The collaboration will also contribute to scalable analysis pipelines for studying brain-wide neural activity and functional interactions between neurons across regions. In addition, the IBL Core will provide consultation on behavioral video analysis and support efforts to document and standardize the experimental setup and task, enabling the paradigm to be adopted by other laboratories and facilitating broader collaboration within the neuroscience community.