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Long-Term Imaging of Identified Neural Populations using Microprisms in Freely Moving and Head-Fixed Animals

Burrows, Rhys; Ma, Chi-Hsuan; Sun, Yujiao Jennifer; (2024) Long-Term Imaging of Identified Neural Populations using Microprisms in Freely Moving and Head-Fixed Animals. Journal of Visualized Experiments (203) 10.3791/65387. Green open access

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Abstract

With the advancement of multi-photon microscopy and molecular technologies, fluorescence imaging is rapidly growing to become a powerful approach for studying the structure, function, and plasticity of living brain tissues. In comparison to conventional electrophysiology, fluorescence microscopy can capture the neural activity as well as the morphology of the cells, enabling long-term recordings of the identified neuron populations at single-cell or subcellular resolution. However, high-resolution imaging typically requires a stable, head-fixed setup that restricts the movement of the animal, and the preparation of a flat surface of transparent glass allows visualization of neurons at one or more horizontal planes but is limited in studying the vertical processes running across different depths. Here, we describe a procedure to combine a head plate fixation and a microprism that gives multilayer and multimodal imaging. This surgical preparation not only gives access to the entire column of the mouse visual cortex but allows two-photon imaging in a head-fixed position and one-photon imaging in a freely moving paradigm. Using this approach, one can sample identified cell populations across different cortical layers, register their responses under head-fixed and freely moving states, and track the long-term changes over months. Thus, this method provides a comprehensive assay of the microcircuits, enabling direct comparison of neural activities evoked by well-controlled stimuli and under a natural behavioral paradigm.

Type: Article
Title: Long-Term Imaging of Identified Neural Populations using Microprisms in Freely Moving and Head-Fixed Animals
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.3791/65387
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.3791/65387
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Institute of Ophthalmology
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10189191
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