Fast 3D recording of neuronal activity and long-term imaging of activity traces through development of innovative probing technologies

Information processing in the brain is based on neuronal electrical activity (i.e. excitatory/inhibitory postsynaptic potentials and action potential firing) as well as chemical signal transduction (such as activation of enzyme cascades, transcription or gene expression). To facilitate functional brain activity mapping, we will create and ameliorate novel and fast Ca2+ sensors and develop fast 3D imaging technologies, while also generating innovative probes that detect long-term activity traces in active ensembles. Together, these novel probing technologies will provide the basis for better understanding information representation in the brain and interrogating the dynamics and stability of active neuronal ensembles in living animals.