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Updated: Mar 14, 2026
A Scanning Electron Microscopy-Compatible Optical Imaging Method for Mesoscopic All-Cell Brain Mapping
Published on: February 20, 2026
Automated, highly reproducible, wide-field, light-based cortical mapping method using a commercial stereo microscope
Su Jiang1, Ya-Feng Liu2, Xiao-Min Wang3
1Department of Hand Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200040, China; These authors contributed equally to the study and paper.
Abstract:
We introduce a more flexible optogenetics-based mapping system attached on a stereo microscope, which offers automatic light stimulation to individual regions of interest in the cortex that expresses light-activated channelrhodopsin-2 in vivo. Combining simultaneous recording of electromyography from specific forelimb muscles, we demonstrate that this system offers much better efficiency and precision in mapping distinct domains for controlling limb muscles in the mouse motor cortex. Furthermore, the compact and modular design of the system also yields a simple and flexible implementation to different commercial stereo microscopes, and thus could be widely used among laboratories.
