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Mightex Community Conversations: Dr. Sarah Hayes
We are excited to share our first research community conversation! This new series focuses on brief conversations with member of our scientific community about their passions inside and outside of the lab. The first community member we are getting to know is Dr. Sarah Hayes.
Optoelectronic Tweezers Based on Mightex’s Polygon Pattern Illuminator
Optoelectronic tweezers (OET) is a useful optofluidic micromanipulation technology that relies on light-induced dielectrophoresis (DEP) for touch-free, noninvasive actuation of micro-scale objects in physical, chemical and biomedical studies. One key challenge for OET technology is the lack of suitable light source capable of coupling with microscope to provide...
What is CRACM (Channelrhodopsin-2-Assisted Circuit Mapping)?
CRACM, or channelrhodopsin-2(ChR2)-assisted circuit mapping, is an optical method used to dissect large, complex neural circuits with optogenetics (Petreanu et al. 2007). To start, ChR2 is expressed in the neuron population of interest, enabling optogenetic activation of this specific cell-type. While recording from an...
Can Optogenetics be Integrated with Fiber Photometry?
Fiber photometry enables researchers to visualize the activity of neuron populations in a freely-behaving animal using calcium imaging (Kim et al. 2016). By ‘reading out’ neural activity, fiber photometry data can be correlated with cognition and behaviour (e.g., the mouse pushes a lever and a...
Calcium imaging enables neuroscientists to visualize the activity of large neuronal populations using fluorescent activity indicators (Grienberger & Konnerth, 2012). The invention of imaging technologies, such as the optical fiberscope or miniscope, allows for calcium imaging to be performed in freely-behaving animals with single-cell resolution (
What Equipment Do You Need to Perform Fiber Photometry?
Fiber photometry has become a very popular method for in vivo calcium imaging due to its simple data output and system design. You are probably asking, what components are needed to perform fiber photometry? In short, you need two main categories of components to perform...
All-Optical Electrophysiology: Integrating Voltage Imaging and Optogenetics
The invention of optogenetics has enabled scientists to use light to turn cell-type specific neural activity on or off with millisecond-precision to probe neural circuit function (Yizhar et al. 2011). Complementing optogenetics, voltage imaging enables scientists to observe cell-type specific neural circuit activity with cellular-resolution...
What Equipment Do You Need for Voltage Imaging?
If someone were to describe voltage imaging to you, it might sound quite simple. When you dig deeper, you start to appreciate the complexity associated with the biology and equipment to perform voltage imaging. You’re probably asking, what are the necessary components to perform voltage...
Electrophysiology is the golden standard for recording individual neuron activity. By recording electrical changes across the cell membrane, electrophysiology is able to detect action potentials in real-time (Petersen, 2017). Due to the complex nature of the technique, however, electrophysiology cannot be used to measure the activity of...
Integrating Complementary Optical Techniques with Intrinsic Optical Imaging
Intrinsic optical imaging has its strengths and weaknesses, like many techniques. Many researchers employ this technique because it is non-invasive, requiring very little surgical intervention and minimal equipment (Juavientt et al., 2018). Intrinsic optical imaging provides a large field-of-view with relatively good spatial and temporal precision...
What Components are Required for Intrinsic Optical Imaging?
Intrinsic optical imaging (or intrinsic signal imaging) is a simplistic imaging method that enables scientists to indirectly record neural activity in large cortical regions non-invasively by measuring hemodynamic changes in the brain (Morone et al., 2017). You’re probably asking, what are the necessary components to...
What is Intrinsic Optical Imaging?
Current advanced imaging techniques, such as calcium imaging, can record cortical activity with high spatial precision and cell-type specificity using the expression of fluorescent sensors and implantation of a cortical window; however, this technique can be quite invasive and complex. For head-fixed experiments measuring general changes in...
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