Unveiling Cognitive Processes in Mice through Reinforcement Learning Models in the FST and TST

doi:10.1101/2025.01.24.634822

	Unveiling Cognitive Processes in Mice through Reinforcement Learning Models in the FST and TST
	Li, Zhihan 1; Lu, Tianyu 1; Yan, Jiaozhao2 ; Zhang, Xiang 1; Li, Yun-Feng 1,3
	2025-01-25
状态	已发表
摘要	The forced swim test (FST) and tail suspension test (TST) are widely used to assess depression-like and stress-related behaviors in rodents. However, traditional approaches for analyzing these tests often oversimplify behavioral data, limiting insights into underlying cognitive processes. In this study, we employed reinforcement learning models to analyze behavioral trajectories, providing new perspectives on the cognitive functions of mice. Our findings suggest that behavior in the FST and TST can be conceptualized as reinforcement learning processes involving both learning and decision-making. Notably, we identified differences in the cognitive mechanisms driving behavior in the two tests, challenging the assumption that they are analogous and interchangeable for cross-validation. Using chronic restraint stress (CRS) exposure and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) pyramidal neuron inhibition as established paradigms, we demonstrate that these manipulations influence cognitive processes similarly in FST. Regression analyses of model parameters reveal distinct phases of behavior: early stages are dominated by learning rate-related components, while outcome sensitivity- and vigor-related components become more influential later. This dynamic suggests that traditional metrics, which often emphasize behavior during the final minutes of testing, may underestimate the significance of learning processes and overemphasize outcome- and vigor- driven responses. These findings underscore the value of computational approaches in uncovering the complex cognitive mechanisms underlying animal behavior.
语种	英语
DOI	10.1101/2025.01.24.634822
相关网址	查看原文
出处	bioRxiv
收录类别	PPRN.PPRN
WOS记录号	PPRN:120946339
WOS类目	Behavioral Sciences
资助项目	STI2030-Major Projects["2022ZD0208200","2021ZD0200900"] ; National Natural Science Foundation of China[32300853]
文献类型	预印本
条目标识符	https://kms.shanghaitech.edu.cn/handle/2MSLDSTB/503596
专题	生命科学与技术学院生命科学与技术学院_博士生
通讯作者	Li, Zhihan
作者单位	1.Beijing Inst Basic Med Sci, Beijing, Peoples R China 2.ShanghaiTech Univ, Sch Life Sci & Technol, Shanghai, Peoples R China 3.Beijing Inst Pharmacol & Toxicol, Beijing Key Lab Neuropsychopharmacol, Beijing, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Li, Zhihan,Lu, Tianyu,Yan, Jiaozhao,et al. Unveiling Cognitive Processes in Mice through Reinforcement Learning Models in the FST and TST. 2025.