Live imaging of adult neural stem cells in freely behaving mice using mini-endoscopes

During adulthood, the activation of adult neural stem cells (NSCs) has been mostly studied ex vivo in post-mortem tissues or in vivo in anesthetized animals. This protocol presents an approach that allows for the long-term and minimally invasive investigation of adult NSC activation and physiology in freely behaving animals. By combining specific NSC labeling and mini-endoscopic microscopy, live imaging of NSC division and Ca²⁺ activity can be performed continuously for 2-3 days and even up to several months. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Gengatharan et al. (2021).