Developing long-term neuro-behavioral recording and real-time processing platforms for naturally behaving animals

神经科学的一个主要挑战是揭示大脑中定义的神经回路是如何编码，存储， 修改和检索信息。增加这一挑战的是，神经功能不 在与有生命的动物隔离的环境中运作。为了应对这一挑战， 神经、行为和计算工具的进步需要沿着新的实验 方法，使详细研究神经回路的背景下，复杂的行为和 自然主义的、与人类行为学相关的环境。这项提案旨在通过设计， 实施和分享一个高度创新的，社区驱动的，神经行为记录和真实的- 时间处理平台，能够不间断地，长达数月的无线记录神经和 在大的自然环境中，一群动物的行为活动。 我们将开发新一代超轻重量、全无线微型显微镜 （迷你镜）用于真正自然行为动物的神经成像。这些无线的Minswees将是 通过远距离供电技术远程供电，能够成像神经活动， 跨越数千个神经元的单细胞分辨率。与转基因小鼠品系结合，这些 无线微型窥镜将在动物生活的几个月里连续记录神经活动， 不间断的，在大的，丰富的环境中。一系列广泛的行为装置将被 开发并原生集成到平台中，用于动物跟踪，解析复杂行为， 检测动物与环境的相互作用为这个项目构建的所有工具和技术将积极 通过我们的开源网站和研讨会分享。神经和行为数据将被处理， 通过一个新的计算框架（硬件和软件）实时地， 通过一个神经科学界可以访问的在线数据库。 使用该平台的试点实验将研究长期形成，稳定性和 行为学相关环境中海马认知图的泛化。一旦 经过验证，随后的实验将纳入神经科学界提出的任务 包括基础科学和神经系统疾病的研究。单个数据集 这个平台将跟踪一群动物的复杂行为和神经活动， 学习、回忆、睡眠、社会行为和衰老。这种新方法有可能 从根本上改变神经科学研究的思考、实施和共享方式 毫无疑问，这将为神经功能和紊乱提供新的见解。

A major challenge in neuroscience is to uncover how defined neural circuits in the brain encode, store, modify, and retrieve information. Adding to this challenge is the fact that neural function does not operate in isolation from but rather within living, behaving animals. To tackle this challenge, significant advancement of neural, behavioral, and computational tools is needed along with new experimental approaches to enable the detailed study of neural circuits within the context of complex behavior and naturalistic, ethologically relevant environments. This proposal aims to do exactly this by designing, implementing, and sharing a highly innovative, community driven, neuro-behavioral recording and real- time processing platform capable of uninterrupted, months-long wireless recording of neural and behavioral activity across a colony of animals in large, naturalistic environments. We will develop a new generation of ultra-light weight, fully wireless miniature microscopes (Miniscopes) for neural imaging in truly naturally behaving animals. These wireless Minsicopes will be powered remotely through power-over-distance technology and capable of imaging neural activity with single cell resolution across thousands of neurons. In combination with transgenic mouse lines, these wireless Miniscopes will continuously record neural activity across months as animals live, uninterrupted, in large, enriched environments. An extensive array of behavioral devices will be developed and natively integrated into the platform for animal tracking, parsing complex behaviors, and detecting animal-environment interactions. All tools and techniques built for this project will be actively shared through our open-source website and workshops. Neural and behavioral data will be processed, in real-time, through a novel computational framework (hardware and software) and shared openly through an online database accessible to the neuroscience community. Pilot experiments using this platform will investigate the long-term formation, stability, and generalization of hippocampal cognitive maps within ethologically relevant environments. Once validated, subsequent experiments will incorporate tasks proposed by the neuroscience community encompassing both basic science and investigation of neurological disorders. A single dataset generated with this platform will track a colony of animals’ complex behavior and neural activity through learning, recall, sleep, social behavior, and aging. This novel approach has the potential to fundamentally transform the way neuroscience research is thought about, implemented, and shared and will undoubtedly provide new insight into neural function and disorder.