Display options
Cite
Roberts BM, Jarrin SE, Mathur BN, et al. Illuminating the Undergraduate Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory: A Guide for the in vivo Application of Optogenetics in Mammalian Model Organisms. J Undergrad Neurosci Educ. 2016;14(2):A111-6
Roberts, B. M., Jarrin, S. E., Mathur, B. N., & Bailey, A. M. (2016). Illuminating the Undergraduate Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory: A Guide for the in vivo Application of Optogenetics in Mammalian Model Organisms. Journal of undergraduate neuroscience education : JUNE : a publication of FUN, Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience, 14(2), A111-6.
Roberts, Bradley M, et al. "Illuminating the Undergraduate Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory: A Guide for the in vivo Application of Optogenetics in Mammalian Model Organisms." Journal of undergraduate neuroscience education : JUNE : a publication of FUN, Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience vol. 14,2 (2016): A111-6.
Roberts BM, Jarrin SE, Mathur BN, Bailey AM. Illuminating the Undergraduate Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory: A Guide for the in vivo Application of Optogenetics in Mammalian Model Organisms. J Undergrad Neurosci Educ. 2016 Apr 15;14(2):A111-6. eCollection 2016. PMID: 27385919; PMCID: PMC4917341.
Copy Download .nbib Format: NLM
Share it on

J Undergrad Neurosci Educ. 2016 Apr 15;14(2):A111-6. eCollection 2016.

Illuminating the Undergraduate Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory: A Guide for the in vivo Application of Optogenetics in Mammalian Model Organisms.

Journal of undergraduate neuroscience education : JUNE : a publication of FUN, Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience

Bradley M Roberts, Sarah E Jarrin, Brian N Mathur, Aileen M Bailey

Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology & Program in the Neurosciences, St. Mary's College of Maryland, St. Mary's City, MD 20686;; Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201.
  2. Department of Psychology & Program in the Neurosciences, St. Mary's College of Maryland, St. Mary's City, MD 20686;
  3. Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201.

PMID: 27385919 PMCID: PMC4917341

Abstract

Optogenetics is a technology that is growing rapidly in neuroscience, establishing itself as a fundamental investigative tool. As this tool is increasingly utilized across the neuroscience community and is one of the primary research techniques being presented at neuroscience conferences and in journals, we believe that it is important that this technology is introduced into the undergraduate neuroscience research laboratory. While there has been a significant body of work concentrated to deploy optogenetics in invertebrate model organisms, little to no work has focused on brining this technology to mammalian model organisms in undergraduate neuroscience laboratories. The establishment of in vivo optogenetics could provide for high-impact independent research projects for upper-level undergraduate students. Here we review the considerations for establishing in vivo optogenetics with the use of rodents in an undergraduate laboratory setting and provide some cost-saving guidelines to assist in making optogenetic technologies financially accessible. We discuss opsin selection, cell-specific opsin expression strategies, species selection, experimental design, selection of light delivery systems, and the construction of implantable optical fibers for the application of in vivo optogenetics in rodents.

Keywords: Arduino™ microcontroller boards; Cre-driver transgenic lines; adeno-associated virus (AAV); behavioral assays; budget; channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2); halorhodopsin (NpHR); in vivo optogenetics; lasers; light emitting diodes (LEDs); mammals; opsin; optical fiber; undergraduate research

References

  1. Nat Neurosci. 2015 Sep;18(9):1202-12 - PubMed
  2. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2014 Jul 22;10:1369-79 - PubMed
  3. Nature. 2010 Jul 29;466(7306):622-6 - PubMed
  4. Addict Biol. 2011 Oct;16(4):519-31 - PubMed
  5. J Neurosci. 2007 Sep 12;27(37):9817-23 - PubMed
  6. J Undergrad Neurosci Educ. 2012 Fall;11(1):A139-48 - PubMed
  7. J Neural Eng. 2010 Feb;7(1):16004 - PubMed
  8. Nat Methods. 2011 Dec 18;9(2):159-72 - PubMed
  9. Nat Neurosci. 2005 Sep;8(9):1263-8 - PubMed
  10. Nat Neurosci. 2012 Mar 25;15(5):793-802 - PubMed
  11. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2012 Mar 20;13(4):251-66 - PubMed
  12. Neuron. 2011 Dec 8;72(5):721-33 - PubMed
  13. Nature. 2012 Dec 20;492(7429):428-32 - PubMed
  14. Nat Methods. 2014 Mar;11(3):325-32 - PubMed
  15. Neuron. 2013 Dec 18;80(6):1368-83 - PubMed
  16. Nat Methods. 2006 Oct;3(10):785-92 - PubMed
  17. Neuron. 2011 Jul 14;71(1):9-34 - PubMed
  18. J Undergrad Neurosci Educ. 2015 Jul 07;13(3):A166-73 - PubMed
  19. Nature. 2009 Jun 4;459(7247):698-702 - PubMed
  20. Nature. 2007 Nov 1;450(7166):56-62 - PubMed
  21. J Neural Eng. 2007 Sep;4(3):S143-56 - PubMed
  22. J Vis Exp. 2009 Mar 16;(25):null - PubMed
  23. Cold Spring Harb Protoc. 2014 Aug 01;2014(8):815-22 - PubMed
  24. Curr Gene Ther. 2013 Dec;13(6):434-52 - PubMed
  25. Science. 2009 May 22;324(5930):1080-4 - PubMed
  26. Nat Neurosci. 2013 Sep;16(9):1275-83 - PubMed
  27. Nat Protoc. 2011 Dec 08;7(1):12-23 - PubMed
  28. Nat Protoc. 2010 Mar;5(3):439-56 - PubMed
  29. Epilepsy Curr. 2015 Jan-Feb;15(1):34-8 - PubMed
  30. Nature. 2011 Mar 17;471(7338):358-62 - PubMed
  31. Cell. 2011 Dec 23;147(7):1446-57 - PubMed
  32. Adv Physiol Educ. 2011 Mar;35(1):82-91 - PubMed

Publication Types

Grant support