University Of Ottawa Tender

Scope: The Overall Project Requires Advanced Imaging Infrastructure Used By A Team Of Highly Collaborative Scientists With Complementary And Synergistic Expertise To: 1) Study Synaptic And Dendritic Integrative Function In Neurons Maintained In Acute Brain Slices; 2) Identify Dendritic, Cellular And Network Strategies In Cortex During Decision-making Tasks In Head-fixed Awake Animals; 3) Dissecting The Functional Roles And Connectivity Of Local Inhibitory Circuits Within The Motor Cortex During Reward-based Motor Skill Learning; 4) Deciphering The Spatiotemporal Relationship Of Synaptic Plasticity With Dendritic Inhibition During Motor Skill Learning; 5) Visualizing And Perturbing Distinct Neuronal Ensembles During Behavior. This Research Will Highlight Basic Aspects Of Strategies Used By The Brain To Learn. It Will Have A Significant Impact On The Development Of Therapeutic Strategies For Counteracting Learning And Memory Deficits As Well As Motor Circuit-related Dysfunction Associated With Stroke, Neurodegenerative Disease, And Traumatic Brain Injury. General Description: The Requested Solution Needs To Allow Researchers To Optically Monitor And Manipulate Large Ensembles Of Synaptic And Neuronal Ensembles Simultaneously Across Different Cortical Layers In Acute Brain Slices And In In Vivo Awake, Head-restrained Animals Engaged In Sophisticated Decision-making Tasks. The Requested System Is A Microscope Allowing For Multiphoton Imaging And Manipulation Of Synaptic And Cellular Activity. The Intended Research Requires Ultra-high Speed Cellular Imaging And Photostimulation Of Live Neuronal Structures (i.e., Cell Bodies, Axon Terminals, Synapses) With Sub-cellular Resolution From Rodent Brains. The Ability Of Controlling Light In Space And Time Afforded By Acousto-optic Deflectors (aods) Constitutes The Preferred Technological Basis For The Intended Imaging System. For Imaging, The System Needs To Be Able To Acquire At High Speed And Be Able To Sample From A Large Number Of Points Of Variable Size (from Synapses To Individual Neurons In A 3d Volume). The System Must Also Be Flexible To Allow For Fast Selection Of 3d Region Of Interests (rois) With Various Shapes And Sizes To Detect Activities All The Way From Axonal Boutons And Dendritic Spines, To Neuronal Cell Bodies. In Addition, The System Must Allow For Flexible Photostimulation Of Complex Spatial (in 3d) And Temporal Patterns, Simultaneously With Imaging, At Different Wavelengths. Lastly, The System Needs To Satisfactorily Deal With Motion Artefact Vessel Pulsation, Respiration Or Limb Movements From The Head-fixed Awake Animals In Real Time. Mandatory Requirements: 1. Sample Handling And Size 1.1 Must Have A Motorized Platform For Positioning Experimental Rodents Or Brain Slice Holding Apparatus In The X-y Plane. Said Capability Must Have An Accuracy Of 0.1 Um, Or Better. 1.2 The Motorized Platform In 1.1 Must Be Amenable To Accommodate Platforms For Either In Vivo Imaging Of Awake Head-restrained Animals Or In Vitro Work In Acute Slices Using Differential Interference Contrast (dic) Optics (or Equivalent Accepted By The University). There Must Be A Clearance Of At Least 30 Cm Between The Bottom Of The Objective And The Top Surface Of The Platform. The Bottom Photon Detector (pmt), Condenser And Dic Optics (or Equivalent Accepted By The University) Must Be Removable For Swaping Between In Vivo And Vitro Setups. 1.3 The Objective Must Be Motorized In The Z-dimension By Way Of Motoric Movement, Piezo Elements Or Deflection Methods. 1.4 Objectives For In Vivo Imaging: