The Neural Circuit Solution for Brain Mapping

ezgif

MICROSCALE

Single neurons

ezgif

MESOSCALE

Brain circuits

b

MACROSCALE

Brain regions

Traditional neurotechnologies limit brain mapping to either fine detail in very few neurons at a time (microscale), or in large regions without the detail of their individual neurons (macroscale). To truly understand how the brain functions, we need technologies that can map neural circuit activity at the mesoscale, i.e in thousands of individual neurons simultaneously during a cognitive or behavioral task. Enter Inscopix.

Inscopix Miniature Microscope: The World's Smallest Brain Observatory

t

The innovation at the core of the Inscopix brain-mapping platform is the integration and miniaturization of the bulky bench-top fluorescence microscope (Left) into a 2 gm device (Right), smaller than a fingertip, that can be mounted onto the skull of a living animal subject to observe its brain activity.

n

How the Miniscope Technology Works

When brain cells are activated, calcium levels rise within the cell. GCaMP6, a genetically encoded protein, binds calcium and emits a transient fluorescent signal. Inscopix miniscopes capture the minute variations in fluorescent signals that occur in real-time, in behaving animals. Imaging, optogenetic, and behavioral data are transmitted via a flexible cable to the data acquisition (DAQ) box, and the images are remotely streamed live on a computer or mobile device.

m

The Miniscope Technology in Action

Imaging the thinking, working brain (right) of a freely behaving mouse (left). The miniature microscope enables cellular resolution and cell-type specific GCaMP6 imaging in ~1,200 excitatory CA1 hippocampal neurons during active behavior over months.
Courtesy: Schnitzer Lab, Stanford

The Complete Miniature Microscope Solution

The Inscopix miniature microscope is the core of an end-to-end integrated platform that empowers researchers to catalyze ground-breaking neuroscience discoveries with speed and scientific rigor.
Miniscope Technology Solution

Lenses & Viruses

Our advanced workflow solutions include fully integrated GRIN lenses with virus to simplify the workflow to single step or individually optimized viruses and lenses to accelerate your circuit neuroscience research.

Support

From experimental design to data analysis, from grant to manuscript submissions, our world-class scientific support team stands ready to assist you every step of the way.

nVoke System

Measure and manipulate brain circuit dynamics with the nVoke by integrating in vivo cellular-resolution calcium imaging with simultaneous or sequential optogenetic manipulation.

Software & Analysis

We offer a comprehensive range of options to acquire and process raw calcium imaging videos with your Inscopix system purchase.

Our Miniature Microscope Technology In The News

Silicon Valley startup Inscopix has created a tiny microscope that can capture video of individual neurons firing in the brain. Bloomberg Technology’s Ellen Huet got a look at the device for this episode of Ventures.

Watch video

 

Researchers package a fluorescence microscope—including the light and camera—that can image the brain of a freely moving mouse.

Read more

Mice are the mainstay of modern biomedical research, but the ability to image their brain cells while they're scampering around is no easy task. Scientists at Stanford University have created a powerful mini-microscope that can fit on a mouse head and stay there without interfering with the mouse's actions.

Read full article