Resources
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Systems neuroscience of the type we do is made possible by technical advances, and we want to explicitly recognize the critical role that painstaking engineering work by experts across multiple domains plays in enabling scientific discoveries.

None of the tools we use were developed in isolation. This page is a collection of links to different projects, people, and organizations. Some of the lab-specific tools we use and develop will be hosted at our lab github .
Large scale neural measurements during naturalistic behavior

The open neuro interface (oni) and associated ONIX system are designed to enable us to perform long-term neural measurements with naturalistic free behavior. It is lightweight, has an extremely thin tether and torque-independent commutator, provides submillisecond feedback, 3D-tracking, many integrated peripherals, supports miniscopes, tetrode headstages, and Neuropixels probes, and is modular and easy to extend.

This project is being developed primarily by Jon Newman at MIT and Open Ephys (interface spec., hardware, firmware, API, and software), with Jack Zhang and Aaron Cuevas Lopez (firmware), Jakob Voigts (hardware), with support, and in coordination with, Filipe Carvalho, Daniel Aharoni, Josh Siegle, and Gonçalo Lopes.

The system is distributed through Open Ephys and its partner OEPS.

Preprint
Manuscript
Github docs
OE showcase

Free-rotating head-fixation system
For experiments that require 'head-fixed' methods such as 2-photon imaging or large-scale electrophysiology, we will use a new method that gives mice the freedom to rotate their heads in virtual reality. This restores azimuthal vestibular cues and leads to more natural behavior. We're working on making the system easily reproducible, get in touch if you're interested in building one.

Manuscript (Voigts & Harnett) with methods description
Github repo with image correction code



Electrophysiology toolchain

Many of the tools we use are developed, maintained, supported and distributed through Open Ephys and its partner company in Portugal, OEPS.

Shuttle drive implant:   Manuscript (Voigts et al.) , Github, OE showcase
Tetrode twister: Manuscript (Newman et al.) , Github, OE showcase

For a comprehensive overview of tools showcased via open ephys see the website.
Most of the source files are linked to by the open ephys github organization .