Miniaturized microscopes to study neural dynamics in freely-behaving animals

Head-mounted miniaturized microscopes, commonly known as miniscopes, have undergone rapid development and seen widespread adoption over the past two decades, enabling the imaging of neural activity in freely-behaving animals such as rodents, songbirds, and non-human primates. These miniscopes facilitate numerous studies that are not feasible with head-fixed preparations. Recent advancements have enhanced their capabilities, allowing for faster imaging, larger fields of view, and deeper brain penetration. In this review, we examine the latest progress in one-photon and multi-photon miniscopes. We highlight the unique opportunities these devices present for neuroscience research, discuss the current technical challenges, and explore emerging technologies that promise to advance the development of miniscopes.

Source: arXiv:2603.11435v1 - http://arxiv.org/abs/2603.11435v1 PDF: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2603.11435v1 Original Link: http://arxiv.org/abs/2603.11435v1