July 2, 2018
In Current Protocols in Neuroscience, Alexander Jacob and colleagues share their open source compact head-mounted endoscope (CHEndoscope) for imaging in the awake behaving mouse.
This miniature microscope device is designed to provide an accessible set of calcium imaging tools to investigate the relationship between behavior and population neuronal activity for in vivo rodents. The CHEndoscope is open source, flexible, and consists of only 4 plastic components that can be 3D printed. It uses an implanted gradient index (GRIN) lens in conjunction with the genetically encoded calcium indicator GCaMP6 to image calcium transients from hundreds of neurons simultaneously in awake behaving mice. The aim of the open source model is to provide an accessible and flexible set of calcium imaging tools for the neuroscience research community. The linked article describes in depth the assembly, surgical implantation, data collection, and processing of calcium signals using the CHEndoscope.
Link to paper: https://currentprotocols.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/cpns.51
GitHub: https://github.com/jf-lab/chendoscope