MRI-guided robotic arm drives optogenetic fMRI with concurrent Ca2+ recording

Nat Commun. 2019 Jun 10;10(1):2536. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-10450-3.

Abstract

Optical fiber-mediated optogenetic activation and neuronal Ca2+ recording in combination with fMRI provide a multi-modal fMRI platform. Here, we developed an MRI-guided robotic arm (MgRA) as a flexible positioning system with high precision to real-time assist optical fiber brain intervention for multi-modal animal fMRI. Besides the ex vivo precision evaluation, we present the highly reliable brain activity patterns in the projected basal forebrain regions upon MgRA-driven optogenetic stimulation in the lateral hypothalamus. Also, we show the step-wise optical fiber targeting thalamic nuclei and map the region-specific functional connectivity with whole-brain fMRI accompanied by simultaneous calcium recordings to specify its circuit-specificity. The MgRA also guides the real-time microinjection to specific deep brain nuclei, which is demonstrated by an Mn-enhanced MRI method. The MgRA represents a clear advantage over the standard stereotaxic-based fiber implantation and opens a broad avenue to investigate the circuit-specific functional brain mapping with the multi-modal fMRI platform.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Calcium / metabolism
  • Channelrhodopsins
  • Functional Neuroimaging / instrumentation
  • Functional Neuroimaging / methods
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / instrumentation*
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods
  • Male
  • Optical Fibers
  • Optogenetics / instrumentation*
  • Optogenetics / methods
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Robotic Surgical Procedures / instrumentation*

Substances

  • Channelrhodopsins
  • Calcium