@article{2418,
  keywords = {Animals, Male, Rats, Conditioning, Operant, Evoked Potentials, Visual, Functional Neuroimaging, Head, Immobilization, Molecular Imaging, Visual Cortex},
  author = {Benjamin Scott and Carlos Brody and David Tank},
  title = {Cellular resolution functional imaging in behaving rats using voluntary head restraint.},
  abstract = { <p>High-throughput operant conditioning systems for rodents provide efficient training on sophisticated behavioral tasks. Combining these systems with technologies for cellular resolution functional imaging would provide a powerful approach to study neural dynamics during behavior. Here we describe an integrated two-photon microscope and behavioral apparatus that allows cellular resolution functional imaging of cortical regions during epochs of voluntary head restraint. Rats were trained to initiate periods of restraint up to 8 s in duration, which provided the mechanical stability necessary for in vivo imaging while allowing free movement between behavioral trials. A mechanical registration system repositioned the head to within a few microns, allowing the same neuronal populations to be imaged on each trial. In proof-of-principle experiments, calcium-dependent fluorescence transients were recorded from GCaMP-labeled cortical neurons. In contrast to previous methods for head restraint, this system can be incorporated into high-throughput operant conditioning systems.</p> },
  year = {2013},
  journal = {Neuron},
  volume = {80},
  pages = {371-84},
  month = {2013 Oct 16},
  issn = {1097-4199},
  doi = {10.1016/j.neuron.2013.08.002},
  language = {eng},
}