Description:

Abstract:

One of the biggest challenges in neuroscience is to understand how neural circuits in the brain process, encode, store, and retrieve information. Meeting this challenge requires tools capable of recording and manipulating the activity of intact neural networks in freely behaving animals. Head-mounted miniature fluorescence microscopes are among the most promising of these tools. Taking advantage of the past decade of advancements in fluorescent neural activity reports, these microscopes use wide-field single photon excitation to image activity across large populations of neurons in freely behaving animals. They are capable of imaging the same neural population across months and in a wide range of different brain regions. 

The UCLA Miniscope Project -- an open-source collaborative effort-- aims at accelerating innovation of miniature microscope technology while also extending access to this technology to the entire neuroscience community. Currently, we are working on advancements ranging from optogenetic stimulation and wireless operation to simultaneous optical and electrophysiology recording. Through continued optimization and innovation, miniature microscopes will likely play a critical role in extending the reach of neuroscience research and creating new avenues of scientific inquiry.