Data from: Precision cutaneous stimulation in freely moving mice

Somatosensation connects animals to their immediate environment, shaping
critical behaviors essential for adaptation, learning, and survival.
Probing the relationships between somatosensory inputs and behavior in
mice presents substantial challenges, primarily due to the practical
difficulties of delivering stimuli to the skin during movement. To address
this problem, we have developed a system for precise cutaneous stimulation
of mice as they walk and run through environments. The system employs
real-time body part tracking and targeted optical stimuli, offering
precision while preserving the naturalistic context of the behaviors
studied, thereby overcoming the traditional trade-offs between precision
and animal behavior. We demonstrate the system from nociceptive testing
conducted in standard small chambers to behavior in large complex
environments, such as mazes. We observed that cutaneous inputs evoke rapid
responses, which modify behavior when stimuli are applied during motion.
This system provides a means to explore the diverse and integrative nature
of somatosensation, from reflexes to decision-making, in naturalistic
settings.