Illuminating neural coding mechanisms using in vivo calcium imaging in freely behaving mice

National Institute On Drug Abuse

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Abstract

Using our custom developed miniScope system, we imaged neuronal activity in dorsal striatum in freely moving mice, we also recorded mice locomotor activity, and compared neuronal activity to mice locomotor activity. We found that direct and indirect pathway neurons in the dorsal striatum displayed similar population activity. We further construct neuron cluster models based on our calcium recordings, and uncovered functional heterogeneity amount direct and indirect pathway neurons in dorsal striatum. Going forward, we will use this imaging technique to study neural coding mechanisms in other brain regions such as prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens, and their contribution in the development of long-term drug addiction and relapse