Emerging imaging methods to study whole-brain function in rodent models


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Date

2021-09-04

Publication Type

Review Article

ETH Bibliography

yes

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Abstract

In the past decade, the idea that single populations of neurons support cognition and behavior has gradually given way to the realization that connectivity matters and that complex behavior results from interactions between remote yet anatomically connected areas that form specialized networks. In parallel, innovation in brain imaging techniques has led to the availability of a broad set of imaging tools to characterize the functional organization of complex networks. However, each of these tools poses significant technical challenges and faces limitations, which require careful consideration of their underlying anatomical, physiological, and physical specificity. In this review, we focus on emerging methods for measuring spontaneous or evoked activity in the brain. We discuss methods that can measure large-scale brain activity (directly or indirectly) with a relatively high temporal resolution, from milliseconds to seconds. We further focus on methods designed for studying the mammalian brain in preclinical models, specifically in mice and rats. This field has seen a great deal of innovation in recent years, facilitated by concomitant innovation in gene-editing techniques and the possibility of more invasive recordings. This review aims to give an overview of currently available preclinical imaging methods and an outlook on future developments. This information is suitable for educational purposes and for assisting scientists in choosing the appropriate method for their own research question. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Publication status

published

Editor

Book title

Volume

11

Pages / Article No.

457

Publisher

Nature

Event

Edition / version

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Date created

Subject

Organisational unit

03963 - Wenderoth, Nicole / Wenderoth, Nicole check_circle

Notes

Funding

173984 - Pharmacogenetic fMRI in brain circuits underlying social motivation and repetitive behavior (SNF)
ETH-25 18-2 - Artificially regulating reward processing via non-invasive deep brain stimulation (ART-REWARD) (ETHZ)
ETH-38 16-2 - Linking meso- and macro-scale cortico-striatal functional connectomics: a DREADD-rsFMRI approach (ETHZ)

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