Going wireless: an optical imaging and optogenetics system for use in awake behaving primates

Decades of studies in non-human primates (NHPs) have been conducted in conditions of strict experimental control of perception and behavior in order to understand the functions of the brain. For instance, experiments focused on visual perception often involve head fixation, unnaturally long eye fixation periods, and attention to locations away from the center of gaze. These paradigms require long training periods (months to a year). While such studies have advanced our knowledge of brain function tremendously, a recurring question is how relevant the gathered data are to natural behavior. The availability of cutting-edge technologies and computational power can free us from the limitations of classical experimental paradigms and usher in a new generation of neuroscience questions focused on how the brain functions in real world settings. Here we demonstrate a small head-mounted multimodal device for stimulating and recording domain-based cortical activity in NHPs. This device consists of an intrinsic optical signal imaging camera and a wireless LED stimulator. To evaluate the functionality of this device, we compared its imaging performance in vivo to that of current benchtop intrinsic imaging systems and demonstrated the efficacy of wireless optogenetic stimulation while conducting awake intrinsic imaging. Our device device has been constructed from off the shelf components and offers multiareal and targeted stimulation and recording capabilities in minimally restrained subjects. It has a potential to contribute to our understanding of cortical encoding of perception and behavior and could have clinical relevance for the development of brain-machine interfaces.