In vivo Ca/kinase imaging in freely moving mouse using micro-endoscope

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26560470
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Brain biometrics
• Research Institution: Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation (2015); 公益財団法人大阪バイオサイエンス研究所 (2014)
• Principal Investigator: Funabiki Kazuo 公益財団法人先端医療振興財団, その他部局等, 研究員 (00301234)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: in vivo imaging / action selection / basal ganglia / system neuroscience / PKA / ERK

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We made a micro-endoscope system enabling FRET imaging in freely moving animals. By combining it with the mutants in which PKA or ERK FRET biosensor is expressed specifically in the striatal projection neurons of either the direct or the indirect pathway of the basal ganglia circuitry, we explored in vivo dynamics of PKA or ERK response of either pathway against several behavioral paradigms. We revealed that PKA and ERK of the direct and indirect pathways, in principal, show activation in a reciprocal manner. We further revealed that these dynamic shifts of PKA or ERK activities between direct and indirect pathways occur in a more natural situation, such as the action selection in male's mating behavior. Furthermore, we found that the behavioral threshold for the significant activation of ERK of the indirect pathway neurons is quite low, which may indicate that the indirect pathway would be more important in action selection occurring in daily life.

Free Research Field

システム神経科学