School of Biomedical Sciences cordially invites you to join the following seminar:

Speaker: Dr. Weijian Zong, Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Trondheim, Norway
Talk Title: Miniature two-photon microscopes for studying brain microcircuits in freely moving animals

Date: 10 January 2025 (Friday)
Time: 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Venue: Lecture Theatre 3 & 4, G/F, William M.W. Mong Block, 21 Sassoon Road
Host: Professor Michael Hӓusser

Biography

Weijian Zong received his BSc in Electrical Engineering at Peking University and carried out his PhD work under the supervision of Prof. Heping Cheng and Prof. Ming Fan at PKU, obtaining a Ph.D. in biophotonics from the Academy of Military Medical Sciences. Dr. Zong moved to the Kavli Institute in Trondheim, Norway where he was a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Prof. Edvard Moser and Prof. May-Britt Moser. Dr. Zong established his independent group at the Kavli Institute in 2023, focusing on developing cutting-edge optical tools to monitor and manipulate neural activity in freely moving animals to understand the rules of neuronal computation in cortical microcircuits.

Dr. Zong has extensive experience in cutting-edge optical and laser instrumentation and mouse experiments, most notably the optical development and neuroscience application of a miniature portable 2-photon miniscope (MINI2P) for high-resolution multiplane imaging of thousands of neurons in the cortex of freely moving mice (Zong et al., Cell, 2022). This transformative technology was highlighted in Nature and is now commercially available and used in universities and research institutions around the world. He has published 22 peer-reviewed papers including in Cell, Nature Methods, Nature Cell Biology and PNAS, holds 3 patents, and has participated in or coordinated more than 10 research projects (ANR, European, industrial).

Abstract

Understanding complex cognitive functions starts with elucidating how information is encoded and transmitted within individual brain microcircuits. To achieve this goal, we need recording techniques capable of capturing the activity of large populations of neurons with a temporal precision close to the timescale of spikes and a spatial resolution high enough to resolve their spatial organization. Moreover, these techniques should be compatible with well-established and well-validated behavioral paradigms. Traditional extracellular recording techniques have drawbacks regarding their ability to identify genetically defined cell types and cannot resolve subcellular dynamics. Two-photon (2P) functional imaging has transformed the field by offering subcellular spatial resolution and millisecond temporal resolution, and is now the leading approach for studying population coding and computational properties of genetically identified neurons in vivo. However, its application has been limited by the bulky nature of conventional 2P imaging systems, restricting studies to head-fixed animals. Over the last two decades, considerable progress has been made in developing portable microscopes specifically tailored for functional 2P imaging in freely moving animals. This talk will describe our recent work in developing new generations of 2P miniscopes with spatial resolution, field of view, speed, and z-scanning capability similar to that of 2P benchtop microscopes. I will highlight key applications from my group and our collaborators, showcasing how this technology contributes to studying the neuronal computation rulesets in cortical microcircuits. I will also discuss the current technical limitiations of head-mounted 2p miniscopes, and perspectives for future developments.

ALL ARE WELCOME.