近日，瑞士苏黎世大学Fritjof Helmchen研究组开发了一项可用于研究大规模脑回路动态的新技术。这一研究成果发表在2019年6月出版的国际学术期刊《Nature Methods》上。

研究人员开发出紧凑的、能够长期植入的高密度光纤阵列，可用于哺乳动物跨脑区的多光纤监测与光遗传学干扰。在进行纹理辨别测试的小鼠中，研究人员实现了对包括纹状体，丘脑区，海马区和皮质区在内的1248个脑区网络的钙信号进行同时光学记录。进一步，研究人员通过对特定光纤通道的控制，对VGAT-ChR2小鼠进行了一些脑区的光学干扰。干扰丘脑核腹能够导致神经网络调控的分散以及小鼠行为的缺陷。最后，研究人员还对自由活动的小鼠进行了多光纤监测，这其中包括对两只进行社交互动的小鼠的同时记录。这项工作表明，高密度多光纤矩阵能够作为研究行为过程中大规模脑回路动态的有力工具。

动物的行为来源于全脑网络的神经活动。然而，能够用于评估动物行为过程中大规模神经动态的技术仍然有限。

附：英文原文

Title: High-density multi-fiber photometry for studying large-scale brain circuit dynamics

Author: Yaroslav Sych, Maria Chernysheva, Lazar T. Sumanovski, Fritjof Helmchen

Issue&Volume:Volume 16 Issue 6, June 2019

Abstract: Animal behavior originates from neuronal activity distributed across brain-wide networks. However, techniques available to assess large-scale neural dynamics in behaving animals remain limited. Here we present compact, chronically implantable, high-density arrays of optical fibers that enable multi-fiber photometry and optogenetic perturbations across many regions in the mammalian brain. In mice engaged in a texture discrimination task, we achieved simultaneous photometric calcium recordings from networks of 1248brain regions, including striatal, thalamic, hippocampal and cortical areas. Furthermore, we optically perturbed subsets of regions in VGAT-ChR2 mice by targeting specific fiber channels with a spatial light modulator. Perturbation of ventral thalamic nuclei caused distributed network modulation and behavioral deficits. Finally, we demonstrate multi-fiber photometry in freely moving animals, including simultaneous recordings from two mice during social interaction. High-density multi-fiber arrays are versatile tools for the investigation of large-scale brain dynamics during behavior.

DOI: 10.1038/s41592-019-0400-4

Source:https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-019-0400-4