iScience (Jan 2022)

A dual-channel optogenetic stimulator selectively modulates distinct defensive behaviors

  • Xue Cai,
  • Lizhu Li,
  • Wenhao Liu,
  • Nianzhen Du,
  • Yu Zhao,
  • Yaning Han,
  • Changbo Liu,
  • Yan Yin,
  • Xin Fu,
  • Dawid Sheng,
  • Lan Yin,
  • Liping Wang,
  • Pengfei Wei,
  • Xing Sheng

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 25, no. 1
p. 103681

Abstract

Read online

Summary: Implantable devices and systems have been emerging as powerful tools for neuroscience research and medical applications. Here we report a wireless, dual-channel optoelectronic system for functional optogenetic interrogation of superior colliculus (SC), a layered structure pertinent to defensive behaviors, in rodents. Specifically, a flexible and injectable probe comprises two thin-film microscale light-emitting diodes (micro-LEDs) at different depths, providing spatially resolved optical illuminations within the tissue. Under remote control, these micro-LEDs interrogate the intermediate layer and the deep layer of the SC (ILSC and DLSC) of the same mice, and deterministically evoke distinct freezing and flight behaviors, respectively. Furthermore, the system allows synchronized optical stimulations in both regions, and we discover that the flight response dominates animals' behaviors in our experiments. In addition, c-Fos immunostaining results further elucidate the functional hierarchy of the SC. These demonstrations provide a viable route to unraveling complex brain structures and functions.

Keywords