Fig. 1

Learning of goal-directed spatial memory task in control mice and deficit in SOM-Rptor-KO mice. A Diagram of the virtual reality, treadmill, head-fixation, and 2-photon microscope setup. B Top view illustration of the virtual environment for the spatial learning task. C Timeline of surgical and behavioral procedures. D Left: Position and associated speed signals of a representative control SOM-IRES-Cre mouse during session 1 (start of learning) and session 16 (end of learning), showing an increase in number of trials per session, animal speed, and licks in the reward zone at the end of training. Green shading corresponds to reward area. Blue circle indicates lick outside the reward zone, green circle lick in the reward zone and reward, and gray circle lick in the reward zone but reward was no longer available. Right: Speed profile as function of position (mean of all trials in black, individual trials in grey) for sessions 1 and 16. Green shading corresponds to reward zone. E Similar representation of training of a representative SOM-Rptor-KO mouse, showing comparable increase in number of trials per session and animal speed with training, but with increased licks unrelated to reward. F–K Summary plots of changes over training sessions in SOM-IRES-Cre (n = 11 mice; Ctrl; black) and SOM-Rptor-KO (n = 10 mice; R.KO; magenta) mice showing similar increases in number of trials per minute (F) and animal speed (G) in both mice groups; increases in percent success trials (H), percent lick in reward zone (I), and lick accuracy (J) only in control SOM-IRES-Cre mice; and reduced learning index (K) in SOM-Rptor-KO mice relative to control SOM-IRES-Cre mice, indicative of a spatial learning deficit in SOM-Rptor-KO mice. Details of statistical tests provided in Additional file 5: Table S1. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001, ns not significant