To monitor the activity of specific cells during unrestricted behavior, we use open-source head-mounted miniscopes developed at UCLA (miniscope.org) to measure calcium activity. The main advantage of this approach over head-fixed 2-photon imaging is the ability to perform a broader range of behavioral tasks including artificial intelligence-based behavioral analysis. Combining these cell type-specific recordings with unbiased sub-second behavioral analysis using AI facilitates the characterization of the cellular underpinnings of behavior at a resolution not possible with conventional approaches.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Jordan Farrell
Jordan is studying the role of the hypothalamus in executing exploratory locomotion and how activity is relayed to brain regions involved in spatial navigation. He is also interested in the networks underlying seizures and how the endocannabinoid system controls local neural activity and vascular physiology.
Email:jsfarrel@stanford.edu