Recording the activity of neurons over large brain regions requires expanding the field of view of the optics without losing on spatial and temporal resolution. Here, this team reports a micro-opto-mechanical device that enables two-photon imaging across distant cortical areas around 6 mm apart in the mouse.

Shin-Ichiro Terada*, Kenta Kobayashi, Masamichi Ohkura, Junichi Nakai & Masanori Matsuzaki*

"Nature Communications" September 3, 2018 Mon 18:00 (JST) Online

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06058-8

It remains unclear how direct and indirect pathways of the basal ganglia signal functional information for a goal-directed adaptive behavior. Combining electrophysiology and optogenetics in behaving rats, we found the direct pathway neurons reselect the same action after reward outcome, whereas indirect pathway neurons switch to the other action after no-reward outcome.

The research team led by Hideyuki Okano and Junichi Ushiba (Keio University) demonstrate calcium imaging from neuronal populations using a miniature fluorescence microscope in naturally behaving non-human primates (NHPs), common marmosets. This technique marks an advance beyond methods using fixed head positioning, which limits the study of complex, self-determined behaviors such as social interactions or fear/anxiety.

MARCKS Phosphorylation at Ser46 reflects neurite degeneration and is a candidate marker for presymptomatic and preaggretaion pathology of Alzheimer’s disease. Here, we demonstrate the similar change in Parkinson’s disease and Dementia with Lewy body prior to alpha-synuclein aggregation, and suggest an ultra-early stage pathology shared by different groups of neurodegenerative diseases.
Kyota Fujita, Hidenori Homma, Kanoh Kondo, Masashi Ikuno, Hodaka Yamakado, Kazuhiko Tagawa, Shigeo Murayama, Ryosuke Takahashi and Hitoshi Okazawa
eNeuro 16 August 2018, ENEURO.0217-18.2018; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/ENEURO.0217-18.2018

The ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra (SN) are involved in dopaminergic brain functions. Given that there are no VTA or SN anatomical MRI templates for Asian people, we created these templates and showed suitability for Asian brains using anatomical and resting state functional MRI data.