A dual-channel optogenetic stimulator selectively modulates distinct defensive behaviors

Xue Cai; Lizhu Li; Wenhao Liu; Nianzhen Du; Yu Zhao; Yaning Han; Changbo Liu; Yan Yin; Xin Fu; Dawid Sheng; Lan Yin; Liping Wang; Pengfei Wei; Xing Sheng

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2021.103681

A dual-channel optogenetic stimulator selectively modulates distinct defensive behaviors

iScience. 2021 Dec 24;25(1):103681. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103681. eCollection 2022 Jan 21.

Authors

Xue Cai¹, Lizhu Li¹, Wenhao Liu^{2

3}, Nianzhen Du¹, Yu Zhao¹, Yaning Han^{2

4}, Changbo Liu⁵, Yan Yin¹, Xin Fu⁶, Dawid Sheng¹, Lan Yin⁶, Liping Wang², Pengfei Wei², Xing Sheng¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Electronic Engineering, Beijing National Research Center for Information Science and Technology, Center for Flexible Electronics Technology, and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
² Shenzhen Key Lab of Neuropsychiatric Modulation and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Brain Connectome and Behavior, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Fundamental Research Institutions, Shenzhen 518055, China.
³ Department of Biomedical Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong 999077, China.
⁴ University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
⁵ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hangzhou Innovation Institute, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China.
⁶ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.

Abstract

Implantable devices and systems have been emerging as powerful tools for neuroscience research and medical applications. Here we report a wireless, dual-channel optoelectronic system for functional optogenetic interrogation of superior colliculus (SC), a layered structure pertinent to defensive behaviors, in rodents. Specifically, a flexible and injectable probe comprises two thin-film microscale light-emitting diodes (micro-LEDs) at different depths, providing spatially resolved optical illuminations within the tissue. Under remote control, these micro-LEDs interrogate the intermediate layer and the deep layer of the SC (ILSC and DLSC) of the same mice, and deterministically evoke distinct freezing and flight behaviors, respectively. Furthermore, the system allows synchronized optical stimulations in both regions, and we discover that the flight response dominates animals' behaviors in our experiments. In addition, c-Fos immunostaining results further elucidate the functional hierarchy of the SC. These demonstrations provide a viable route to unraveling complex brain structures and functions.

Keywords: Bioelectronics; Neuroscience; Optoelectronics.