Automated Multichannel Bidirectional Fiber Optic Rotary Device for Brain-Behavior Studies

本文提出的项目解决了迫切需要的方法，允许微创 在小鼠大脑深处以高空间和高时间分辨率进行长期光学记录。 了解大脑神经活动和行为之间的因果关系是研究之一 这是NIAAA的优先事项和BRAIN倡议的主要目标之一。已经取得了很大的进展 以光学方式干扰和监测行为过程中的神经回路动态。然而，实际 但是，在很大程度上，一次的实施仍然局限于大脑中的一个位置，并且仍然迫切需要 用于在大脑深处的多个部位同时进行微创长时间光学记录， 空间和时间分辨率。在多个地点同时记录将使神经科学家获得 新的见解，通过构建一个全球性的观点，生物化学信号的时间和同步性， 神经元、投射和不同的大脑区域。他们揭示了正常的神经机制， 行为和行为与酒精成瘾，药物成瘾，帕金森病，和其他 神经肌肉和神经精神疾病的自由移动啮齿动物。 该项目旨在设计一个自动化的多通道双向FORJ， 光信号通过一个旋转的 界面，并且对自由移动鼠标的自然行为具有最小的机械影响。第一 目的是建立一个双通道双向FORJ原型装置。简单地说，设计原则是 使用角度编码器动态测量鼠标的移动并自动释放 通过接合无刷DC马达以将绞合的光纤退绕n 360度转弯。为了优化其效率，展开过程仅自动激活 当角度编码器达到实验确定的阈值时。第二个目标是执行 测试验证和定量表征整体光通量，传输变化， 旋转、启动扭矩以及FORJ与数据采集的同步。最后，根据 通过扩大通道容量，将建设一个四通道FORJ。项目 在本申请中提出的方法通过将光学设计和旋转感测相结合来采用独特的方法 以降低光学设计的复杂性并减少机械运动部件的数量， 提高信噪比。多通道双向FORJ可能提供酒精成瘾 研究界扩大了研究乙醇对学习和决策的影响的能力。 更广泛地说，它为神经科学界提供了调查因果关系的可能性 神经元回路的动态生化活动与时空尺度上的行为之间的联系。

The project proposed herein addresses an urgent need for approaches that allow minimally invasive long term optical recording deep in a mouse brain with high spatial and high temporal resolution. Understanding the causal relationship between brain neural activity and behavior is among the research priorities of NIAAA and one of the main objectives of the BRAIN initiative. A lot of progress has been made to optically perturb and monitor neural circuit dynamics during behavior. However, the practical implementation is still largely limited to one location in the brain at a time, and there is still an urgent need for simultaneous minimally invasive long time optical recording deep in the brain at multiple sites with spatial and temporal resolution. Simultaneous recordings at multiple sites will allow neuroscientists to gain new insights by constructing a global view on the timing and synchrony of biochemical signals among neurons, projections, and different brain regions. They shed light on neural mechanisms underlying normal behavior and behavior associated with alcohol addiction, drug addiction, Parkinson’s disease, and other neuromuscular and neuropsychiatric diseases in freely moving rodents. The proposed project aims to design an automated multichannel bidirectional FORJ that will allow the simultaneous transfer of optical signals to and from multiple sites of the brain through a rotating interface and with minimal mechanical impact on the natural behavior in a freely moving mouse. The first aim is to build a two-channel bidirectional FORJ prototype device. The design principle, in a nutshell, is to dynamically measure, using an angle encoder, the movement of a mouse and automatically release the torsion in the optical cable by engaging a brushless DC motor to unwind the twisted optical fiber by n number of 360° turns. To optimize its efficiency, the unwinding process is activated automatically only when the angle encoder reaches an experimentally determined threshold. The second aim is to perform tests to validate and quantitatively characterize overall light throughput, transmission variation over rotation, starting torque, and synchronization of the FORJ with data acquisition. Finally, on the basis of the two-channel FORJ, a four-channel FORJ will be built by extending the channel capacity. The project proposed in this application takes a unique approach by combining optical design and rotational sensing to reduce the optical design complexity and reduce the number of mechanical moving parts in order to improve signal-to-noise ratio. The multichannel bidirectional FORJ potentially offers the alcohol addiction research community expanded capability to investigate ethanol effects on learning and decision making. More broadly, it offers the neuroscience community the possibilities to investigate the causal relationship between dynamic biochemical activity of neuronal circuits and behavior across spatial and temporal scales.