Technology Development Initiative Paper of the Month

DART.2: bidirectional synaptic pharmacology with thousandfold cellular specificity Nat Methods.

Understanding how specific brain cells drive behavior requires targeted, cell- and circuit-specific neuropharmacology. DART.2 (Drugs Acutely Restricted by Tethering, version 2) offers improved cellular precision for targeting drugs compared to the original DART.1 technology, enabling unprecedented brain-wide drug distribution and bidirectional modulation of neurotransmitter pathways to examine behavior.

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High Spatiotemporal Resolution Radial Encoding Single-Vessel fMRI Adv Sci (Weinh)

This paper implemented a radial encoding MRI scheme to measure blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signals of single vessels at microscopic level in the rat somatosensory cortex. In addition, besides from detecting refined hemodynamic response of intracortical micro-venules, this radial encoding-based single-vessel fMRI is capable of distinguishing contributions of intravascular and extravascular effects of signals from vessel and peri-vessel voxels. This combination further benefits real-time single-vessel BOLD fMRI, CBV, and cerebral blood flow studies, making it a valuable tool for advanced brain functional mapping with high-field MRI scanners.

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Topographical memory analyzed in mice using the Hamlet test, a novel complex maze Neurobiol Learn Mem

This manuscript presents a novel behavioral test relying on a new device and specific paradigm: the Hamlet test. The Hamlet test measures topographic memory and establishes a disorientation index using a paradigm based on spontaneous exploration bypassing common issues with spatial behavioral tests, such as procedural routines and systemic avoidance behavior.

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A Wearable Device Towards Automatic Detection and Treatment of Opioid Overdose IEEE Trans Biomed Circuits Syst

A wearable closed-loop drug delivery system capable of detecting a hypoxia event and an automatic rapid delivery of a naloxone dose has the potential to mitigate the effects of the opioid epidemic. The closed-loop system can be complementary to the existing evidence-based harm reduction strategies, particularly in instances of unwitnessed overdose where there are no bystanders to administer Narcan.
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Unlocking opioid neuropeptide dynamics with genetically-encoded biosensors Nat Neurosci.

Endogenous peptides are central to addiction research, but there are limited experimental tools to study these systems in a circuit-specific and selective spatiotemporal manner. Tian and collaborators developed a class of genetically encoded opioid peptide indicators, κLight, δLight, and µLight, based on κOR, δOR, and µOR respectively, that are selective and sensitive to the rapid dynamic changes in endogenous opioid peptides release in vivo.
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Simple behavioral analysis (SimBA) as a platform for explainable machine learning in behavioral neuroscience Nat Neurosci.

Neuroscience is advancing from subjective to objective behavioral definitions with the help of machine-guided animal pose estimation and behavioral detection tools. However, these approaches often require significant investments in specialized hardware and specialized computational knowledge. Simple Behavioral Analysis (SimBA) provides an open-source machine learning platform that uses pose tracking data to detect and annotate animal behaviors, making the methods accessible and understandable to non-specialists.
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FARESHARE: An open-source apparatus for assessing drinking microstructure in socially housed rats. NPP—Digit Psychiatry Neurosci.

The authors describe an open-source and cost-effective system for monitoring drinking behavior in group housed rodents. The fully customizable system can measure both the volume consumed and drinking bouts microstructure in context of social behaviors.
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Adaptable, turn-on maturation (ATOM) fluorescent biosensors for multiplexed detection in cells Nature Methods

This paper by Sekhon et al, 2023 describes the creation of turn-on fluorescence sensors coupled to either monobody or nanobody. The fluorescent sensors can be paired with a monobody/nanobody to your protein of interest and optimized for fluorescence intensity.
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Investigation of daily patterns for smartphone keystroke dynamics based on loneliness and social isolation. Biomed Eng Lett

The current paper used a custom Android keyboard to study human behavioral patterns linked to loneliness over a five-week period and found distinctive patterns within the severe loneliness group. The study showcases a new digital biomarker to decode mental health conditions.
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Using a novel rapid alternating steering angles pulse sequence to evaluate the impact of theranostic ultrasound-mediated ultra-short pulse length on blood-brain barrier opening volume and closure, cavitation mapping, drug delivery feasibility, and safety Theranostics.

The current study from the Konofagou lab describes an advancement in FUS delivery parameters and instrumentation that allows the simultaneous opening and monitoring of BBB in two brain regions simultaneously. This preclinical study highlights new developments in FUS that expand its capabilities for safe, non-invasive gene and drug delivery to the brain for the potential treatment of neurological diseases. FUS may be a useful tool for evaluating therapeutics for substance use disorder.
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