ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY AND IMAGING
From the essentials to state of the art techniques for neurophysiologists
The course offers a choice of intensive, hands-on practicals and students attend numerous demonstrations of high-level techniques through visits to labs at the Université Paris Cité, the Ecole Normale Supérieure, the Paris Brain Institute (ICM) and the Institut de la Vision.
BENCHES
Consolidate your newfound theoretical knowledge of electronics and optics with the two practical “benches”. Everybody does these.
Intensive training on basic concepts
Electronics bench
Build operational-amplifier circuits illustrating the principles of electrophysiological recordings. Then use an Arduino to learn how digital electronics convert, represent and process information.
Optics bench
Reconstruct the image-forming path of a microscope and build a basic scanning system. Learn how to couple exetrnal optics to your own system.
HANDS-ON
Three two-day blocks, which students choose from the following :
Field Recording
You will trigger and record field Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials in hippocampal slices to study basic synaptic readouts, e.g. Paired-Pulse Ratio. You will use different protocols to induce Long Term Potentiation and test the effect of filtering on extracellular signals.
Cortical/Cerebellum patch
We will guide you through a step-by-step approach to locating the patch electrode, selecting a “good” cell, and approaching the membrane until achieving the famous giga-seal. You will also learn how to design recording protocols and choose the most intracellular solutions for your future experiments. You will be shown how to optimise both current-clamp and voltage-clamp recordings. You will be able to record synaptic inputs with extracellular stimulation. There will be a demonstration of loose-cell attached stimulation and recording. Two experimental setups are available and the preparations will include cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum.
Open Source Miniscope
Learn how to assemble and deploy open-source miniscopes to perform in vivo calcium recordings in freely-moving animals.
Patch Clamp Training
If you have selected an advanced technique based upon patch-clamping and you do not have prior experience, the first practical block will get you up to speed with the basics of the technique, allowing you to extract maximum benefit from the advanced practicals.
Acousto-Optic Deflectors
Discover the flexibility of 2-photon scanning microscopy based upon acousto-optic deflectors, applied to both genetically encoded voltage and calcium indicators.
High speed imaging
Learn how to use ultra-fast CMOS camera imaging and to image neuronal signals in slices at the level of single cells or networks.
Neuropixel electrodes
This two-day workshop provides hands-on training in Neuropixels electrophysiology. Day 1 covers data acquisition: building the probe and preparing it for acute recording, planning trajectories with 3D atlases, introduction to probe hardware (Neuropixels 1.0 vs 2.0, analog-to-digital conversion), denoising a rig, acute recording in awake mice, and signal synchronization. Day 2 focuses on data analysis: in-depth description of Neuropixels raw data format, introduction to machine learning relevant for spike-sorting, theory of spike sorting, practical data pre-processing, automated spike sorting and manual curation, and alignment of neural to behavioral data.
Subcellular 2 photons
Learn to use 2-photon microscopy to measure intracellular calcium concentrations in subcellular compartments.
Neuronal Network 2 photon
This hands-on workshop will take you inside the world of multiphoton microscopy, letting you explore the brain in remarkable detail while learning its principles and operation. Using brain slices, you will explore cellular and subcellular dynamics in real time. Observe microglia mobility and their response to brain injury, or monitor intracellular calcium fluctuations in neurons in response to electrical or pharmacological stimulation.
DEMONSTRATIONS
Custom demonstrations of state of the art techniques
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- Holographic stimulation
- Tissue Clearing
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- Light-sheet microscopes
- 3D acousto-optic deflectors
- And more…
INSTRUCTORS
Tim Harris
Janelia Farm, USA
Luiza Filipis
Inserm Grenoble
Pierre Yger
Institut de la Vision
Brandon Stell
Université Paris Cité
Maxime Beau
UCL, UK
Marin Manuel
Univ. Rhode Island, USA
Desdemona Fricker
Université Paris Cité
Joana Lourenço
ICM
Nelson Rebola
ICM
German Sumbre
IBENS
Sébastien Wolf
IBENS
Marco Canepari
Inserm Grenoble
Mahesh Karnani
VU, The Netherlands
Boris Barbour
IBENS
Eric Schwartz
Université Paris Cité
Benjamin Mathieu
IBENS
Ludovic Tricoire
IPS
Laila Blömer
Inserm Grenoble
Igor Delvendahl
University of Zurich
Michael Graupner
Université Paris Cité
Vincenzo Marra
University of Leicester
Nelson Rebola
ICM
Nicolas Gervasi
Collège de France
