The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) scientists have been awarded the NIH Brain Initiative $4 million grant for the development of a next-generation miniscope that will enable them to observe animals' brain activities. The fund will support the design, manufacturing, and distribution of two types of new two-photon miniscopes, according to Interesting Engineering.
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Royce Hall on the campus of University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) is seen on March 11, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. - Starting this week many southern California universities including UCLA will suspend in-person classes due to coronavirus concerns.
The Miniscope
The miniscope is around one inch tall and is less than four grams. It may be that small, but it can capture neuronal activity while it sits on a baseplate placed over the head of an animal. The data captured will be sent through a thin wire to a computer for analysis, allowing scientists to observe the animals' brain activity further.
Should this be successful, it could be an important tool for neuroscience that requires looking at the large populations of brain cells in animals' brains. According to the UCLA Newsroom, it has been used in over 500 labs since it was built ten years ago.
With miniscopes, scientists can easily observe how animals' brains function and their memory and social behavior.
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The New Miniscopes
With the new two mini scopes funded by the NIH Grant, the scientists will upgrade and develop them to produce higher-resolution images compared to the previous versions. It will also let researchers see the fine structure of connections in the brain.
One miniscope will be light enough that a mouse can wear it, but it will have a larger field of view. The other miniscope can be worn by a rat and image thousands of brain cells at the same time.
Animals' Brain Activity
The NIH Grant is expected to stir up the development of neuroscience technologies. With the miniscopes, researchers can study animals' brain activities in various situations. This will allow them to study the brain's responses and habit formation.
The data captured with the help of the miniscopes will help us in understanding animal behaviors, and eventually, this may help us understand the human brain. This will also help scientists to understand the importance of sleep and consciousness. It will be a goldmine for the scientific community.
The Brain Initiative
The Brain Initiative is a well-planned project created by the NIH that aims to accelerate the development of new methods to do neuroscience research. It will help in improving the study of the brain and its disorders.
The project is expected to help the development of new technologies that could revolutionize neuroscience. This will lead to an increase in the number of discoveries related to the brain. The project also aims to encourage a wide range of professionals from the basic, applied, and clinical science communities.
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Written by April Fowell
