Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2025
04:02
Serial Two-Photon Tomography of the Whole Marmoset Brain for Neuroanatomical Analyses
Published on: January 17, 2025
391
An Open Access Resource for Marmoset Neuroscientific Apparatus.
Isabela Zimmermann Rollin1,2, Daniel Papoti1,3, Mitchell Bishop1
1Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|November 28, 2024
Summary
Researchers provide open access to marmoset neuroscience tools, including 3D printable helmets and MRI coils. This resource aims to reduce development time and costs for common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) research.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Primate Research
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) is increasingly used in neuroscience research, particularly for modeling human brain diseases.
- There is a scarcity of commercially available, marmoset-specific research apparatus, leading to duplicated efforts in individual labs.
- Significant funding supports marmoset research, yet infrastructure development remains a bottleneck.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address the lack of readily available tools for marmoset neuroscience research.
- To provide open access to a comprehensive suite of validated designs for various neuroimaging and experimental techniques.
- To reduce the burden of de novo apparatus development for researchers in the field.
Main Methods:
- Design and validation of specialized apparatus for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), computed tomography (CT), focused ultrasound (FUS), electrophysiology, optical imaging, surgery, and behavior.
- Development of software for automated 3D printable helmet creation from CT scans for awake neuroimaging.
- Engineering and validation of 8- and 14-channel MRI receive arrays for deep brain structure imaging.
Main Results:
- A publicly accessible online resource (Marmoset Brain Connectome) hosting downloadable computer-aided-design (CAD) files for numerous apparatus.
- Availability of vetted software, online calculators, and stimuli for marmoset neuroscience tasks, including touchscreen and functional MRI (fMRI).
- Successful development and validation of novel tools such as automated head-morphology-based helmet design and specialized MRI receive arrays.
Conclusions:
- The open sharing of these marmoset-specific research tools significantly lowers the barrier to entry for new laboratories.
- This resource accelerates research progress by providing validated, ready-to-use designs, promoting standardization and reproducibility.
- The initiative supports the broader goal of advancing human brain disease modeling using the common marmoset as a preclinical model.
