Overview
- Calcium imaging allows scientists to visualize calcium fluorescence fluctuation associated with changes in neuronal activity in freely behaving animals.
- Existing solutions such as miniscopes have several drawbacks: (i) all parts are glued together in a miniscope, and hence it cannot be easily reconfigured to meet new & changing research needs; (ii) bulky and heavy; and (iii) limited lifetime and costly to replace.
Ā Ā Key System Requirements
- Ability to image fluctuations in fluorescent signal with high temporal and spatial specificity in vivo
- Lightweight (<0.7g) and small footprint, ideal for studying naturalistic behaviour
- Modular system design, reconfigurable to meet new & changing research needs
- Quick and easy integration with existing experimental rigs/setups
- Synchronization with third party hardware and software in order to provide a cohesive experimental platform
- High temporal resolution for reliable and accurate GCaMP(GECI) data acquisition
- Reconfigurability to include optogenetic stimulation approaches
- Easy to use software platform for data collection and analysis
- Ability to image multiple wavelengths for multiple fluorescent sensors
- Ability to access multiple brain regions simultaneously at variable depths
- Compatibility with wide-range of animal models
OASIS Implant at a Glance
Mightexās OASIS Implant is a reconfigurable and future-proof modular platform for freely behaving calcium imaging. The OASIS Implant allows users to not only conduct both deep brain and/or cortical region calcium imaging but also combine multi-colour, multi-region imaging with targeted or wide-field optogenetics to meet a broad range of in vivo behavioural neuroscientific research requirements.
To learn more about the OASIS Implant, click here ā”ļø
Research Highlights using OASIS Implant
(Pharmaceutics 2022).
The cingulate cortex (CC) is a key brain region in the limbic system that coordinates actions and motivational behaviors. Somatostatin-expressing GABAergic neurons in the cingulate cortex (CCSST) can provide powerful inhibition to the CC circuitry through high basal firing activity and synchronized firing.
The video shows Ca2+ activity of somatostation-expressing cingulate cortex neurons during social interaction collected using the Mightex OASIS Implant system.
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Huanhuan Li & Dr. Geoffrey Lau
City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Combining genetic, pharmacological and optogenetic manipulation of intracellular signalling with in vivo live calcium imaging of hippocampal neurons in freely behaving mice using Mightex OASIS Implant micro-endoscopy system elucidates dynamic intracellular signalling mechanisms that regulate neuronal circuit activity during hippocampus-dependent memory.
The video shows in vivo GCaMP6 fluorescence imaging in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons with the Mightex OASIS Implant micro-endoscopy system.
Jayant Rai & Dr. Kenichi Okamoto
Department of Molecule Genetics
University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Neurons project to different parts of the brain, and neuroscientists are interested in understanding how these connections affect behaviour. The OASIS Implant uses a bifurcated imaging fiber that connects to multiple GRIN lenses, allowing researchers to perform imaging and optogenetics in multiple brain regions simultaneously.
Dr. Nick Frost
University of Utah, USA
