Miniaturized head-mounted wide-field microscope to monitor bilateral cortical activity in mice engaged in social interaction

Compromised social interactions are a clear sign of several pathological conditions such as autism, schizophrenia, and social anxiety disorder. Understanding the neural mechanisms underlying social behavior plays a key role in improving treatments. In the past, studies of social behavior in rodents have been conducted using different behavioral paradigms but have rarely been combined with the study of brain activity, this is because the available optical imaging techniques require head-fixed conditions. Miniaturized optical systems have recently been developed to perform calcium imaging in freely moving rodents, however, current devices have a reduced field of view limiting the brain area to be investigated. The development of a miniaturized wide-field optical system "Miniscope" has enabled the recording of neuronal dynamics in both hemispheres in free-moving mice. The Miniscope made it possible to perform social interaction studies by simultaneously monitoring neuronal activity, opening a new frontier in the field of social neuroscience.