VRLab Suite

Description

VRLab Suite is an intuitive virtual reality software platform for preclinical neuroscience research in head-fixed mice. It ships with a curated library of ready-to-run environments — each with adjustable parameters including trial count, reward conditions, and task difficulty — so you can get experiments running quickly without custom development. Full integration with electrophysiology and optical imaging systems makes it a natural fit for combined behavioral and physiological recording workflows.

Custom environments can be designed and ordered separately to meet the specific demands of your paradigm.

Included VR Environments

VRLab Suite comes with five built-in environments optimized for common mouse neuroscience experiments:

Y-Maze A two-arm decision task with horizontal and vertical wall patterns as navigational cues. Mice receive positive or negative reinforcement based on their path choice, making it well-suited for studies of spatial learning, reward, and decision-making circuits.

Predator An open corridor in which a black ball approaches unpredictably from the left or right, simulating a looming predator. Designed for studies of threat detection, defensive behavior, and lateralized sensory processing.

Infinite Corridor A looping, featureless corridor with evenly spaced black tubes to provide visual anchoring cues. Developed to minimize stress in head-fixed mice during awake imaging, this environment supports a sense of environmental control without spatial end-points.

Retinotopy A static visual field in which a white bar sweeps across the animal’s visual space. Bar width, speed, and sweep direction are fully adjustable, enabling systematic retinotopic mapping of visual cortex.

Custom Environment Need something beyond the built-in library? Custom virtual environments are available and priced according to complexity. Contact us to discuss your specifications.

System Compatibility

VRLab Suite is designed for head-fixed mice and interfaces with LabeoTech’s spherical treadmill (recommended) or linear treadmill. The software synchronizes with peripheral hardware for closed-loop behavioral control:

• Water dispensers (standard or sucrose water) — positive reinforcement
• Air puff whisker stimulators — negative reinforcement

Visual stimuli are delivered via the virtual reality headset or a dual 16″ display configuration. Hardware components are available separately or as part of a complete system — use the interactive VR configurator to build your setup.

Licensing & Included Hardware

To ensure reliable real-time 3D rendering and multi-display output, the software is bundled with a preconfigured computer:

A software-only option (without the bundled computer) is also available. Contact us to confirm compatibility with your existing hardware.