Figure 3.

Mice organize their activity into short bouts of high task engagement. a, Average circadian distribution of trials (hourly bins) in WT mice (n = 13). Gray-shaded region represents the dark phase of the light cycle (7:00 P.M. to 7:00 A.M.). b, Trials (blue lines) for a representative mouse are shown over an 8 h period. The large majority of trials occurred in bouts (gray-shaded regions) of high task engagement (>4 trials within a 3 min window). c, Reward rate was higher for trials occurring within bouts compared with trials occurring outside of bouts (p < 0.0001). Lines indicate paired values for each WT mouse (n = 13). d, Reward rate increased over the course of a bout (p < 0.0001) in WT mice (n = 13). Reward rate was calculated for a 5-trial window centered on the indicated trial position (e.g., Trials 1-5 for Trial 3). e, The Fano factor of pull amplitude decreased over the course of a bout (p < 0.0001) in WT mice (n = 13). Fano factor was calculated for a 5-trial window centered on the indicated trial position. All data are from mice tested on the amplitude task and are presented as mean ± SEM.