Imaging Cells During Behavior

The Imaging Cells during Behavior Core develops and offers a range of cutting-edge imaging tools that permit researchers to monitor brain activity

The ICBC offers a range of imaging modalities to monitor brain activity in behaving animals across a range of spatial and temporal scales. These modalities include fiber photometry, head-mounted miniature microscopes (“miniscopes”) and novel wide field-of-view optical imaging during behavior at both the mesoscopic and cellular levels. Monitoring neural circuit activity during behavior is necessary for understanding how that activity may drive the behavior. While cellular electrophysiology is very useful in this regard, imaging technology available through the ICBC would offer some distinct advantages. These include specific monitoring of genetically identified cell types (including “activated ensemble neurons” from Targeted Recombination in Active Populations (TRAP) mice, detecting spatial relationships of activated cells, longitudinal monitoring of individual cells, and in conjunction with the SCC, the possibility of post hoc determination of the distal projection targets for neurons linked to a specific behavior.

Imaging Cells During Behavior Core Leads

Timothy Ebner, MD, PhD. Dr. Timothy Ebner is a professor and Head of the Department of Neuroscience. His laboratory is interested in how information in the brain is represented spatially and temporally in populations of neurons during behavior. Dr. Ebner co-leads the ICBC with Dr. Kodandaramaiah.

Suhasa Kodandaramaiah, PhD. Dr. Suhasa Kodandaramaiah is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota. His laboratory focuses on engineering neurotechnologies to interface with the brain at multiple spatial and temporal scales. These include robotic tools for single cell recording/manipulation and 3D printed polymer implants for large scale neural activity readout and perturbation. Dr. Kodandaramaiah co-leads the ICBC with Dr. Ebner.

Imaging Cells During Behavior Staff

Manny Esguerra, PhD. Dr. Manuel Esguerra (Researcher 6) has conducted neuroscience research at the University of Minnesota for over 20 years. He has extensive experience with in vivo and in vitro methods for electrophysiology and calcium imaging.

Russell Carter, PhD. Dr. Russell Carter (Researcher 6) serves as the Manager of the ICBC, and has been working in Dr. Ebner’s lab since 2013. He has extensive knowledge on mouse surgical techniques as well as calcium imaging – both mesoscale and two-photon – and behavioral imaging in mice.

Daniel Surinach  Daniel received his B.S. in Engineering Science and Mechanics with a concentration in Biomechanics, Mechanobiology, and Math from Virginia Tech in 2018. Following his undergraduate studies, he completed his M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in Mechatronics from the University of Minnesota in 2020. He is a research engineer who splits time between the ICBC and the Biosensing and Biorobotics Laboratory. Daniel works on developing novel technologies and computational strategies for whole-cortex neural sensing in freely behaving mice.

Vijay Rajendran  Vijay received his M.S. in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minnesota in 2019 and his B.S. in Materials Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2015. He is a research engineer who splits time between the ICBC and the Biosensing and Biorobotics Laboratory. Vijay works on customizing and building miniaturized imaging devices for addiction researchers. He is also working on expanding applications of transparent polymer skulls (See-Shells) in addiction research.