The Neural Circuit Solution for Brain Mapping
Microscale
Single neurons
Mesoscale
Brain circuits
Macroscale
Brain regions
Traditional neurotechnologies limit brain mapping to either fine detail in very few neurons at a time (microscale), or in large regions without the detail of their individual neurons (macroscale). To truly understand how the brain functions, we need technologies that can map neural circuit activity at the mesoscale, i.e. in thousands of individual neurons simultaneously during a cognitive or behavioral task. Enter Inscopix.
Inscopix Miniature Microscope: The World’s Smallest Brain Observatory
The innovation at the core of the Inscopix brain-mapping platform is the integration and miniaturization of the bulky bench-top fluorescence microscope (Left) into a 2 gm device (Right), smaller than a fingertip, that can be mounted onto the skull of a living animal subject to observe its brain activity.
How the Miniscope Technology Works
When brain cells are activated, calcium levels rise within the cell. GCaMP6, a genetically encoded protein, binds calcium and emits a transient fluorescent signal. Inscopix miniscopes capture the minute variations in fluorescent signals that occur in real-time, in behaving animals. Imaging, optogenetic, and behavioral data are transmitted via a flexible cable to the data acquisition (DAQ) box, and the images are remotely streamed live on a computer or mobile device.
The Miniscope Technology in Action
Imaging the thinking, working brain (right) of a freely behaving mouse (left). The miniature microscope enables cellular resolution and cell-type specific GCaMP6 imaging in ~1,200 excitatory CA1 hippocampal neurons during active behavior over months.
Courtesy: Schnitzer Lab, Stanford
The Complete Miniature Microscope Solution
The Inscopix miniature microscope is the core of an end-to-end integrated platform that empowers researchers to catalyze ground-breaking neuroscience discoveries with speed and scientific rigor.
Our Miniature Microscope Technology In The News
Silicon Valley startup Inscopix has created a tiny microscope that can capture video of individual neurons firing in the brain. Bloomberg Technology’s Ellen Huet got a look at the device for this episode of Ventures.
Researchers package a fluorescence microscope—including the light and camera—that can image the brain of a freely moving mouse.
Mice are the mainstay of modern biomedical research, but the ability to image their brain cells while they’re scampering around is no easy task. Scientists at Stanford University have created a powerful mini-microscope that can fit on a mouse head and stay there without interfering with the mouse’s actions.