Title | Cellular resolution functional imaging in behaving rats using voluntary head restraint. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2013 |
Authors | Scott, BB, Brody, CD, Tank, DW |
Journal | Neuron |
Volume | 80 |
Issue | 2 |
Pagination | 371-84 |
Date Published | 2013 Oct 16 |
ISSN | 1097-4199 |
Keywords | Animals, Conditioning, Operant, Evoked Potentials, Visual, Functional Neuroimaging, Head, Immobilization, Male, Molecular Imaging, Rats, Visual Cortex |
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> |
DOI | 10.1016/j.neuron.2013.08.002 |
Alternate Journal | Neuron |
PubMed ID | 24055015 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC4068252 |
Grant List | R21 NS082956 / NS / NINDS NIH HHS / United States / HHMI / Howard Hughes Medical Institute / United States RC1NS068148 / NS / NINDS NIH HHS / United States F32 NS078913 / NS / NINDS NIH HHS / United States R21NS082956 / NS / NINDS NIH HHS / United States RC1 NS068148 / NS / NINDS NIH HHS / United States |