Inscopix Publishes First Demonstration Using nVista System to Study Neural Circuit Activity in Behaving Non-Human Primate Model

Research advance enables study of neural circuit mechanisms underlying complex and clinically relevant behaviors, including dysfunction in neurological disease

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Inscopix today announced the publication of the first demonstration of its miniature microscope-based brain mapping system, nVista, to record neural circuit activity in behaving rhesus macaques. Understanding brain function in non-human primates may empower new insights into neurological disorders in humans, such as Parkinson’s disease, and also pave the way for development of new and sophisticated ways to treat them, including brain computer interfaces (BCIs).

In the demonstration, Inscopix’s head-mounted miniature microscope system, nVista, was used to simultaneously record calcium dynamics, a proxy for neural activity, from over 100 genetically targeted neurons in the macaque dorsal premotor cortex. Recordings were made as macaques performed naturalistic motor behaviors for positive reinforcement, such as arm reaching movements to different locations.

Researchers were able to repeatedly image activity in the same neurons during sessions spanning multiple months – allowing for longitudinal tracking of neural ensemble dynamics and their relationship to specific behaviors. Neural activity selective for different directions of arm movements were observed and could be used to predict behavior on individual trials. Broader observations were also made with simultaneous, multi-site imaging to visualize distributed networks that may underlie complex behavior and cognition.

“Non-human primates have complex brains that are similar to humans, and they also exhibit similar types of limb movement when completing natural motor behaviors,” said Jonathan Nassi, Ph.D., Director of Translational Science at Inscopix and a senior author on the study. “Longitudinal recordings of genetically-defined neuronal populations in behaving non-human primates can help us understand a broad range of conditions that lack effective treatment options today.”

The investigation was conducted at the California National Primate Research Center, in collaboration with researchers at University of Texas at Austin, University of California, Davis, and University of California, Berkeley. The preprint, titled “Head-mounted microendoscopic calcium imaging in dorsal premotor cortex of behaving rhesus macaque,” was first made available online on April 13, 2020 through the BioRxiv preprint server.

To date, the Inscopix technology has been leveraged in over 400 academic and industry laboratories, and has empowered more than 100 scientific applications.

About nVista™ and nVoke™ systems

nVista and nVoke systems are Inscopix’s state-of-the-art miniature microscope-based solutions for imaging and manipulation of large-scale neural circuit dynamics in freely behaving subjects. With nVista and nVoke, researchers at leading research institutions worldwide are pushing the frontiers of neuroscience, and asking entirely new questions about how neural circuits shape cognition and behavior in health and disease. For more information, please visit: https://www.inscopix.com/nVoke.

About Inscopix, Inc.

Inscopix empowers the development of next-generation therapeutics for difficult-to-treat brain disorders by enabling innovative research and predictive preclinical therapeutic development. Driven by a North Star of overcoming historic challenges in the field, Inscopix provides validated solutions for real-time mapping of neural activity in brain circuits. These objective, quantitative and in-brain assays are catalyzing unprecedented insights into disease mechanisms, and have been shown to be more accurate at predicting clinical efficacy than animal behavior when testing a therapeutic candidate’s capacity to bring the brain back to a normal state. Inscopix’s partner and customer discoveries help decode the brain, inform deeper understanding of mechanisms of action and enable the screening of drugs based on efficacy. For more information, please visit http://www.inscopix.com.

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