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Miniature microscopes for manipulating and recording in vivo brain activity
Alice M Stamatakis1, Shanna L Resendez1, Kai-Siang Chen1
1Inscopix Inc., 2462 Embarcadero Way, Palo Alto, CA 94303, USA.
Microscopy (Oxford, England)
|July 20, 2021
Summary
Miniature microscopes (miniscopes) enable unprecedented visualization of neural circuits in freely moving animals. This technology advances the study of complex behaviors and neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Bioengineering
- Animal Models
Background:
- Miniature integrated microscopes (miniscopes) paired with microendoscopes offer advanced neural circuit visualization.
- The miniscope platform has evolved with optogenetics, tunable lenses, and integrated data acquisition for multimodal experiments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the development and application of miniscopes for neural circuit research in freely behaving animals.
- To highlight the expanded capabilities and impact of miniscopes in neuroscience.
Main Methods:
- Development of miniature integrated microscopes (miniscopes) and microendoscopes.
- Integration of simultaneous optogenetic capabilities and electrically-tunable lenses for multi-plane imaging.
- Application of constrained matrix factorization algorithms for reliable cell identification in large imaging datasets.
Main Results:
- Miniscopes enable monitoring of thousands of genetically-defined neurons over extended periods in healthy and diseased animal brains.
- Researchers can investigate neural circuits underlying behaviors not studied under head-fixed conditions.
- Miniscope data has improved understanding of neural circuit dysfunction in animal models of neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease.
Conclusions:
- Miniscopes provide unprecedented insights into neural circuits governing complex behaviors and disease mechanisms.
- Continued development, including multi-population recording and multimodal integration, will deepen understanding of neural circuits in naturalistic behaviors.
