Neuroscience

Electrophysiology

Pedagogy

Spike (software development)

Biology

Biological neural network

Software engineering

Machine learning

Artificial intelligence

Psychology

Reuse

Ecology

Programming language

SIGNAL (programming language)

Computer science

Transformative learning

eLife

The advent of high-yield electrophysiology using Neuropixels probes is now enabling researchers to simultaneously record hundreds of neurons with remarkably high signal to noise. However, these probes have not been well-suited to use in freely moving mice. It is critical to study neural activity in unrestricted animals for many reasons, such as leveraging ethological approaches to study neural circuits. We designed and implemented a novel device that allows Neuropixels probes to be customized for chronically implanted experiments in freely moving mice. We demonstrate the ease and utility of this approach in recording hundreds of neurons during an ethological behavior across weeks of experiments. We provide the technical drawings and procedures for other researchers to do the same. Importantly, our approach enables researchers to explant and reuse these valuable probes, a transformative step which has not been established for recordings with any type of chronically-implanted probe.

Chronically implanted Neuropixels probes enable high-yield recordings in freely moving mice