Multi-region calcium imaging in freely behaving mice with ultra-compact head-mounted fluorescence microscopes.
Feng XueFei LiKe-Ming ZhangLufeng DingYang WangXingtao ZhaoFang XuDanke ZhangMingzhai SunPak-Ming LauQingyuan ZhuPengcheng ZhouGuo-Qiang BiPublished in: National science review (2023)
To investigate the circuit-level neural mechanisms of behavior, simultaneous imaging of neuronal activity in multiple cortical and subcortical regions is highly desired. Miniature head-mounted microscopes offer the capability of calcium imaging in freely behaving animals. However, implanting multiple microscopes on a mouse brain remains challenging due to space constraints and the cumbersome weight of the equipment. Here, we present TINIscope, a Tightly Integrated Neuronal Imaging microscope optimized for electronic and opto-mechanical design. With its compact and lightweight design of 0.43 g, TINIscope enables unprecedented simultaneous imaging of behavior-relevant activity in up to four brain regions in mice. Proof-of-concept experiments with TINIscope recorded over 1000 neurons in four hippocampal subregions and revealed concurrent activity patterns spanning across these regions. Moreover, we explored potential multi-modal experimental designs by integrating additional modules for optogenetics, electrical stimulation or local field potential recordings. Overall, TINIscope represents a timely and indispensable tool for studying the brain-wide interregional coordination that underlies unrestrained behaviors.
Keyphrases
- high resolution
- cerebral ischemia
- white matter
- physical activity
- spinal cord
- type diabetes
- squamous cell carcinoma
- spinal cord injury
- body mass index
- risk assessment
- weight loss
- skeletal muscle
- photodynamic therapy
- single molecule
- adipose tissue
- optic nerve
- quantum dots
- resting state
- climate change
- low cost
- wild type
- optical coherence tomography