Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 5, 2026
Multiscale Investigations of Cortical Processing by Integrating Laminar Polytrodes and Optogenetics with Micro Electrocorticography in Rodents
Published on: May 23, 2025
Strategies for optical control and simultaneous electrical readout of extended cortical circuits
P Ledochowitsch1, A Yazdan-Shahmorad2, K E Bouchard3
1The UC Berkeley-UCSF Graduate Program in Bioengineering, Berkeley, CA, United States; The Center for Neural Engineering and Prostheses (CNEP), United States.
Background:
To dissect the intricate workings of neural circuits, it is essential to gain precise control over subsets of neurons while retaining the ability to monitor larger-scale circuit dynamics. This requires the ability to both evoke and record neural activity simultaneously with high spatial and temporal resolution.
New Method:
In this paper we present approaches that address this need by combining micro-electrocorticography (μECoG) with optogenetics in ways that avoid photovoltaic artifacts.
Results:
We demonstrate that variations of this approach are broadly applicable across three commonly studied mammalian species - mouse, rat, and macaque monkey - and that the recorded μECoG signal shows complex spectral and spatio-temporal patterns in response to optical stimulation.
Comparison With Existing Methods:
While optogenetics provides the ability to excite or inhibit neural subpopulations in a targeted fashion, large-scale recording of resulting neural activity remains challenging. Recent advances in optical physiology, such as genetically encoded Ca(2+) indicators, are promising but currently do not allow simultaneous recordings from extended cortical areas due to limitations in optical imaging hardware.
Conclusions:
We demonstrate techniques for the large-scale simultaneous interrogation of cortical circuits in three commonly used mammalian species.
