Systems Physiology of Learning, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany.
Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), Magdeburg, Germany.
J Neural Eng. 2021 Apr 26;18(4). doi: 10.1088/1741-2552/abf608.
. In tetrode recordings, the cell types of the recorded units are difficult to determine based on electrophysiological characteristics alone. Optotagging, the use of optogenetic stimulation to precisely identify cells, is a method to overcome this challenge. However, recording from many different cells requires advancing electrodes and light sources slowly through the brain with a microdrive. Existing designs suffer from a number of drawbacks, such as limited stability and precision, high cost, complex assembly, or excessive size and weight.. We designed TetrODrive as a microdrive that can be 3D printed on an inexpensive desktop resin printer, has minimal parts, assembly time, and cost. The microdrive can be assembled in 15 min and the price for all materials, including the 3D printer, is lower than a single commercial microdrive. To maximize recording stability, we mechanically decoupled the drive mechanism from the electrical and optical connectors.. The developed microdrive is small and light enough (<1.5 g) to be carried effortlessly by a mouse. It allows reliable recordings from single units and optogenetically identified units, even across recording sessions. In contrast to previous designs, it provides a decoupling of plugging forces from the main drive body for enhanced stability. Owing to its moveable optical fiber, our microdrive can also be used for fiber photometry. The cost of a single drive is below 20 €. We evaluated our microdrive by recording single units and calcium signals in the ventral tegmental area of mice and confirmed cell identity via optotagging. Thereby we found units not following the classical reward prediction error model.. TetrODrive is a tiny, lightweight, and affordable microdrive for optophysiology in mice. Its open design, price, and built-in characteristics can significantly expand the use of microdrives in mice.
在四极管记录中，仅根据电生理特征很难确定记录单元的细胞类型。光标记是一种精确识别细胞的方法，它利用光遗传学刺激来克服这一挑战。然而，要记录许多不同的细胞，需要使用微驱动器将电极和光源缓慢推进大脑。现有的设计存在一些缺点，例如稳定性和精度有限、成本高、组装复杂或尺寸和重量过大。我们设计了 TetrODrive 作为一种微驱动器，可以在廉价的桌面树脂打印机上进行 3D 打印，具有最小的零件、组装时间和成本。微驱动器可以在 15 分钟内组装完成，所有材料（包括 3D 打印机）的价格都低于单个商用微驱动器。为了最大限度地提高记录的稳定性，我们将驱动机构与电气和光学连接器机械解耦。开发的微驱动器小巧轻便（<1.5g），可以轻松地由老鼠携带。它允许可靠地记录单个单元和光遗传学鉴定的单元，甚至在多个记录会话中也是如此。与以前的设计相比，它提供了从主驱动体上分离插件力的能力，从而提高了稳定性。由于其可移动光纤，我们的微驱动器也可用于光纤光度测定。单个驱动器的成本低于 20 欧元。我们通过在小鼠腹侧被盖区记录单个单元和钙信号来评估我们的微驱动器，并通过光标记确认细胞身份。由此，我们发现了一些不符合经典奖励预测误差模型的单元。TetrODrive 是一种小巧、轻便、价格实惠的小鼠光生理微驱动器。其开放式设计、价格和内置特性可以显著扩展微驱动器在小鼠中的应用。
