One of the biggest challenges in neuroscience is to understand how neural circuits in the brain process, encode, store, and retrieve information. Meeting this challenge will require methods to record the activity of intact neural networks in freely behaving animals. Spectacular advances with the development of genetically encoded indicators of neural activity and optogenetic actuators now call for methods to image and manipulate the activity of large populations of identified neurons in freely moving mice over prolonged periods of time. Multi-channel imaging is needed to unequivocally identify individual neurons based on their unique gene expression profiles or projection patterns, and a flexible platform is needed so that the scopes can be easily adapted to address diverse neuroscience questions. Optogenetic capability is needed to draw causal connections between cellular activity patterns and behavior. Finally, currently available technology is limited because it requires the mice to be tethered by wires, limiting their range of behaviors and ability to interact with other animals or their environment. In addition, commercial miniaturized scopes are extremely expensive, and cannot be altered to meet individual end-user needs. Here, we seek to remedy shortfalls in existing technology by developing truly open source next-generation two-channel optogenetics-capable, wireless, miniaturized microscopes for imaging and tracking activity patterns of large neural-cell populations in freely moving mice. We will design, manufacture, optimize and test: a two-channel microscope for imaging two fluorophores (Aim 1), an optogenetics-capable microscope for imaging and optogenetic excitation (Aim 2), a wireless miniaturized microscope (Aim 3), and a microscope with combined two-channel, optogenetics, and wireless capability (Aim 4). All throughout, we will build an online environment for sharing our microscopes with the neuroscience community, lifting barriers for others to build, modify, and implant the microscopes and analyze neural activity data with our software. Our new wearable microscopes will have a transformative impact on neuroscience by permitting for the first time the imaging and manipulation of the activity of hundreds of identified neurons and other cells such as astrocytes in freely behaving animals.
To understand the encoding, storage and retrieval of information by the brain, we will need to record the activity of hundreds of identified cells in freely moving animals. Here we develop and optimize a new- generation multichannel, optogenetics-capable, wireless miniaturized microscopes that will allow us to identify and manipulate the activity patterns of precisely defined neurons and astrocytes in animals exploring ethologically accurate environments. We will openly share this tool with the neuroscience community and eliminate barriers for use.
| Cai, Denise J; Aharoni, Daniel; Shuman, Tristan et al. (2016) A shared neural ensemble links distinct contextual memories encoded close in time. Nature 534:115-8 |
