Collection 

Optical techniques for the recording and manipulation of neural activity in-vivo

Submission status
Closed
Submission deadline

Optical methods have revolutionised the experimental measurement and control of neuronal populations. In optogenetics, the expression of light-activated opsin channels in cells enables investigators to initiate specific cellular events through the application of light as a precise activating signal. This allows us to understand the basic functioning of cells and neuronal pathways at a higher spatial and temporal resolution than before. In parallel, related optical methods have emerged that endow us with the ability to measure changes in cell activation through the release of fluorescent markers. These techniques afford either bulk or single-cell calcium imaging of neural activity with high temporal and spatial resolution in behaving animals.

Since the first exploration of optical techniques in the early 2000s, the experimental tools and methods have been repeatedly refined. Indeed, it has become more and more common that both recording and manipulation of neural activity using these techniques is performed within the same animal, providing a level of control and observation of neurons in a way we have never experienced. This Collection aims to gather research using the latest optical techniques in neuroscience, and what we've learned from their application.

Nerve cells, illustration - stock illustration

Editors

  • Robert Krencik

    Houston Methodist Hospital, USA

  • Talia Lerner

    Feinberg School of Medicine - Northwestern University, USA

  • Xuelin Lou

    Medical College of Wisconsin, USA

  • Melissa Sharpe

    University of California, Los Angeles, USA

  • Hiromu Yawo

    The University of Tokyo, Japan

Submitting a paper for consideration

 

To submit your manuscript for consideration at Scientific Reports as part of this Collection, please follow the steps detailed on this page. On the first page of our online submission system, under “I’m submitting:” select the option “any other article type”. Once logged in you can submit your manuscript to a Collection by selecting “Guest Edited Collection”, under the “Choose the appropriate manuscript type” message, and clicking “Continue”. Then when filling out the manuscript information, select the "Optical techniques for the recording and manipulation of neural activity in-vivo" Collection from the alphabetical list on the “Springer Nature Subject Category” tab. Authors should express their interest in the Collection in their cover letter.

Accepted papers are published on a rolling basis as soon as they are ready.

In addition to papers on optical techniques in neuroscience, Scientific Reports welcomes all original research in neuroscience more broadly. To browse our latest articles in neuroscience click here.

Find out more about the Guest Editors here