Awake Mice Imaging
Awake Mice Imaging - Related Videos
07:15
Intranasal Administration of CNS Therapeutics to Awake Mice
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Cited by 182 •
2013
A method to intranasally administer drugs to awake mice for the purpose of targeting the brain is described. This method allows for repeat dosing over long periods using intranasal administration of drug without anesthesia, and nose-to-brain delivery with minimal systemic exposure.
06:33
Implantation of a Cranial Window for Repeated In Vivo Imaging in Awake Mice
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Cited by 7 •
2021
Presented here is a protocol for the implantation of a chronic cranial window for the longitudinal imaging of brain cells in awake, head-restrained mice.
08:26
Simultaneous Imaging of Microglial Dynamics and Neuronal Activity in Awake Mice
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Cited by 1 •
2022
Here, we describe a protocol combining adeno-associated virus injection with cranial window implantation for simultaneous imaging of microglial dynamics and neuronal activity in awake mice.
10:44
Construction of Microdrive Arrays for Chronic Neural Recordings in Awake Behaving Mice
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Cited by 30 •
2013
The design and assembly of microdrives for in vivo electrophysiological recordings of brain signals from the mouse is described. By attaching microelectrode bundles to sturdy driveable carriers, these techniques allow for long-term and stable neural recordings. The lightweight design allows for unrestricted behavioral performance by the animal following drive implantation.
11:19
Extracellular Recording of Neuronal Activity Combined with Microiontophoretic Application of Neuroactive Substances in Awake Mice
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Cited by 14 •
2016
We present methods for the construction of electrodes to simultaneously record extracellular neural activity and release multiple neuroactive substances at the vicinity of the recording sites in awake mice. This technique allows the detailed analysis of putative local synaptic inputs to the neuron of interest.
FAQs
Anesthesia can alter neural states, so recording in conscious mice helps preserve activity patterns associated with perception, movement, learning, and decision-making. This distinction matters when researchers want to relate neuronal signals to behavior under more natural physiological conditions. Comparisons with anesthetized preparations can therefore clarify which circuit responses depend on normal engagement with sensory stimuli or tasks.
Head fixation helps keep the imaging region stable while the mouse remains conscious, allowing optical or other imaging systems to capture brain structure or activity during behavior. Behavioral acclimation prepares the animal for this arrangement before measurements begin. Together, these elements support recordings that can be aligned with sensory stimulation, movement, learning, or decision-making rather than disrupted by unfamiliar handling.
Researchers combine recorded brain signals with behavioral measurements and the timing of sensory stimuli or task events. This alignment allows them to examine how neural activity changes as a mouse perceives information, moves, learns, or makes decisions. The resulting data connect circuit function with observable behavior in real time, rather than treating neuronal activity as an isolated measurement.
A typical workflow includes preparing the conscious animal for head fixation, allowing behavioral acclimation, and positioning an optical or other imaging system to record brain structure or activity. Researchers then present sensory stimuli or have the mouse perform a task while collecting neural and behavioral measurements. The synchronized observations provide a basis for relating circuit activity to ongoing behavior.
This approach is especially useful when the research question concerns neural activity during perception, movement, learning, or decision-making. Because measurements occur while the mouse is conscious, investigators can study circuit function alongside behavior and sensory experience. It is therefore suited to questions requiring a relationship between brain signals and actions, rather than structural or activity measurements considered independently.
Awake recordings can reveal how brain circuits operate during behavior and how neural activity relates to brain connectivity and cognition. They also support investigations of disease-related changes under more natural physiological conditions. By combining imaging with behavioral measurements, studies can examine whether altered circuit function accompanies differences in perception, movement, learning, or decision-making.