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Chronic Implantation of Whole-cortical Electrocorticographic Array in the Common Marmoset
Published on: February 1, 2019
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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, United States.
Imaging Neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)
|August 13, 2025
Summary
Researchers provide open access to marmoset neuroscience tools, including 3D printable helmets and MRI coils, to advance brain disease modeling and reduce research duplication.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Primate Research
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- The common marmoset is increasingly used for modeling human brain diseases.
- Marmoset-specific research equipment is scarce from commercial vendors, necessitating in-house development.
- This leads to duplicated efforts and slows research progress.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address the scarcity of specialized equipment for marmoset neuroscience.
- To provide openly accessible, validated designs for various neuroimaging and experimental techniques.
- To reduce the burden of equipment development for researchers in the marmoset field.
Main Methods:
- Designed and validated a range of apparatus for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), computed tomography (CT), focused ultrasound (FUS), electrophysiology, optical imaging, surgery, and behavior.
- Developed software for automated extraction of marmoset head morphology from CT scans to create 3D printable helmets for awake neuroimaging.
- Designed and validated 8-channel and 14-channel MRI receive arrays for imaging deep brain structures.
- Made computer-aided design (CAD) files, software, and stimuli publicly available through the Marmoset Brain Connectome resource.
Main Results:
- A comprehensive online resource (Marmoset Brain Connectome) offering dozens of downloadable CAD assemblies, software, and calculators.
- Validated software for generating 3D printable helmets tailored to individual marmoset head morphology.
- Successfully designed and validated novel 8-channel and 14-channel MRI receive arrays for enhanced deep brain imaging.
- Provided vetted code and stimuli for touchscreen and task-based functional MRI (fMRI) studies.
Conclusions:
- The open availability of these marmoset-specific research tools significantly lowers the barrier for conducting advanced neuroscience research.
- This resource facilitates more efficient and standardized research, accelerating discoveries in marmoset models of human brain disorders.
- The initiative promotes collaborative research and innovation within the marmoset neuroscience community.
