MiniXL

MiniXL captures large-scale neuronal population dynamics at single-cell resolution in freely behaving mice through an eXtra Large field-of-view miniscope.

Key Features:

• Large Field-of-View: The MiniXL provides a 3.5 mm diameter field of view for imaging neuronal populations.
• Multi-Brain Region Imaging: The MiniXL enables simultaneous imaging across bilateral medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and mPFC and nucleus accumbens (NAc).
• Cell Tracking Across Days: The MiniXL stably tracks cells across multiple days of imaging.
• Single-Cell Resolution: The MiniXL resolves individual neurons in large-scale neuronal population recordings.

Scientific Applications:

• Hippocampal Imaging: The MiniXL records large-scale neuronal population activity in hippocampal dorsal CA1.
• Social Behavior Studies: The MiniXL images multiple brain regions during complex social behavior in freely behaving mice.
• Longitudinal Neural Dynamics: The MiniXL tracks identified cells across multiple days to study stable neural representations over time.

Methodology:

The MiniXL is a 3.5-gram miniaturized epifluorescence microscope based on the UCLA Miniscope ecosystem.