Protocol for implementing medial forebrain bundle stimulation as a reward for perceptual tasks in mice

Training mice to perform perceptual tasks is a vital part of integrative neuroscience. Replacing classical rewards like water with medial forebrain bundle (MFB) stimulation allows experimenters to avoid deprivation and obtain higher trial numbers per session. Here, we provide a protocol for implementing MFB-based reward in mice. We describe steps for MFB electrode implantation, efficacy testing, and stimulation calibration. After these steps, MFB reward can be used to facilitate sensory discrimination task training and enable nuanced characterization of psychophysical abilities. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Verdier et al. (2022).1