Imaging the brain in action: a motorized optical rotary joint for wide field fibroscopy in freely moving animals

Abstract

The study of neuronal processes governing behavior in awake behaving mice is constantly boosted by the development of technological strategies, such as miniaturized microscopes and closed-loop virtual reality systems. However, the former limits the quality of recorded signals due to constrains in size and weight and the latter suffers from the restriction of the movement repertoire of the animal, therefore, hardly reproducing the complexity of natural multisensory scenes. Another strategy that takes advantage of both approaches consists of the use of a fiber-bundle interface to carry optical signals from a moving animal to a conventional imaging system. However, as the bundle is usually fixed below the optics, its torsion resulting from rotations of the animal inevitably constrains the behavior over long recordings. Our aim was to overcome this major limitation of fibroscopic imaging. We developed a motorized optical rotary joint controlled by an inertial measurement unit at the animal’s head. We show its principle of operation, demonstrate its efficacy in a locomotion task, and propose several modes of operation for a wide range of experimental designs. Combined with an optical rotary joint, fibroscopic approaches represent an outstanding tool to link neuronal activity with behavior in mice at the millisecond timescale.