The evaluation of neuronal activity in specific brain areas led to enormous advances in the pathophysiological basis of psychiatric disorders. From ex vivo evaluation of transcriptional factors and secondary messengers to modern in vivo photometry and functional magnetic resonance imaging, these techniques have given researchers unprecedented insights into the underlying mechanisms contributing to such conditions. Nowadays, this research field has evolved, taking advantage of chemical and genetic tools that allow the precise manipulation of neuronal activity to go further into the pathophysiology of psychiatric diseases and the development of new treatment strategies.  

This Methods Collection aims to gather old and new methods used to evaluate or manipulate brain cell activity, or both, in animal models of psychiatric diseases, including but not limited to immunohistochemistry, fiber photometry, in-site administration of chemicals, chemo, and optogenetics. The collection will help new researchers to delineate experiments looking for the understanding and treatment of psychiatric diseases and established research groups that need to improve their experiments with new and ground-breaking techniques.