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UC Davis Unveils Lensless Miniscope That Captures Real-Time 3D Brain Activity in Mice

A dense lenslet mask with an unrolled neural network enables fast reconstructions inside scattering tissue.

Overview

  • The peer-reviewed Science Advances paper published Sept. 12 details the DeepInMiniscope prototype and in vivo demonstrations in mice.
  • The device replaces a bulky lens with a thin mask holding more than 100 miniaturized lenslets and reconstructs 3D volumes from single exposures using a physics-informed unrolled neural network.
  • In lab tests, the team recorded neuronal activity in real time in living mice, producing high-resolution images across a large field of view.
  • The current prototype measures about 3 square centimeters and weighs roughly 10 grams, with planned iterations aiming for ~2 square centimeters and cordless operation to support freely moving animals.
  • The authors describe the reconstruction as interpretable, efficient, and minimally data-hungry, and they report no competing interests.