Event:

Breakthroughs in understanding the neural basis of ethologically-relevant
natural behaviours will require the combination of high-fidelity multimodal
behavioural monitoring with dense neural recording and genetically-enabled
molecular and optical dissection of neural circuits. A uniquely extensive
genetic toolkit has made the mouse a preferred model organism for systems
neuroscience. However, high-bandwidth behavioural monitoring technology for
mice is largely limited to off-animal fixed devices, limiting the most detailed
behavioural data to restrained preparations. Here, we develop a novel, ultralight,
highly-stable, head-mounted camera system to monitor eye-position, pupil dilation,
whisking, pinna movements and other salient behavioural signals accurately and
without restraint, alongside inertial monitoring and multichannel electrophysiology.
Neither the quality of neural recordings, nor the behaviour of the animal, are
impaired by the new head-mounted system. The potential of the combined technology
is manifested in new observations that link eye to head movements, whisking to
non-tactile stimulation, and visual cortical activity to extraretinal head-movement
signals in freely-moving mice.

[Joint work with Jasper Poort (SWC), John O’Keefe (SWC), Maneesh Sahani (Gatsby) and Jennifer Linden (Ear Institute)]