Goal-directed behaviors involve distributed brain networks. The small size of the mouse brain makes it amenable to manipulations of neural activity dispersed across brain areas, but existing optogenetic methods serially test a few brain regions at a time, which slows comprehensive mapping of distributed networks. Laborious operant conditioning training required for most experimental paradigms exacerbates this bottleneck. We present an autonomous workflow to survey the involvement of brain regions at scale during operant behaviors in mice. Naive mice living in a home-cage system learned voluntary head-fixation (>1 hr/day) and performed difficult decision-making tasks, including contingency reversals, for 2 months without human supervision. We incorporated an optogenetic approach to manipulate activity in deep brain regions through intact skull during home-cage behavior. To demonstrate the utility of this approach, we tested dozens of mice in parallel unsupervised optogenetic experiments, revealing multiple regions in cortex, striatum, and superior colliculus involved in tactile decision-making.

This brief review summarizes the most recent progress in in vivo voltage imaging in the neurosciences, as an extension to the work presented at the voltage imaging session of the 2025 FENS regional meeting in Oslo. First, we outline the latest advances in genetically encoded voltage indicators. Next, we examine technical innovations that have reshaped imaging platforms and lay the groundwork to investigate neural activity in real time across large fields of view and in deep tissue. Finally, we highlight a selection of compelling applications that have emerged over the past 5 years, illustrating how voltage imaging evolved from a proof of concept to being deployed to answer pending neuroscientific questions.

Striatum processes a wide range of functions including goal-directed behavior and habit formation, respectively encoded by the dorsomedial striatum (DMS) and dorsolateral striatum (DLS). GABAergic feedforward inhibition is known to control the integration of cortical information by striatal projection neurons (SPNs). Here we questioned whether this control is specific between distinct striatal functional territories. Using opto-activation and opto-inhibition of identified GABAergic interneurons, we found that different circuits are engaged in DLS and DMS, both ex vivo and in vivo: while parvalbumin interneurons efficiently control SPNs in DLS, somatostatin interneurons control SPNs in DMS. Moreover, both parvalbumin and somatostatin interneurons use a dual hyperpolarizing/depolarizing effect to control cortical input integration depending on SPN activity state: GABAergic interneurons potently inhibit spiking SPNs while in resting SPNs, they favor cortical activity summation via a depolarizing effect. Our findings establish that striatal GABAergic interneurons exert efficient territory-specific and state-dependent control of SPN activity and functional output.

Recent advances in the field of Voltage Imaging, with a special focus on new constructs and novel implementations.

Basal Ganglia Advances is a collection highlighting research on the structure, function, and disorders of the basal ganglia. It features studies spanning neuroscience, clinical insights, and computational models, serving as a hub for advances in movement, cognition, and behavior.

Work related to place tuning, spatial navigation, orientation and direction. Mainly includes articles on connectivity in the hippocampus, retrosplenial cortex, and related areas.

This brief review summarizes the most recent progress in in vivo voltage imaging in the neurosciences, as an extension to the work presented at the voltage imaging session of the 2025 FENS regional meeting in Oslo. First, we outline the latest advances in genetically encoded voltage indicators. Next, we examine technical innovations that have reshaped imaging platforms and lay the groundwork to investigate neural activity in real time across large fields of view and in deep tissue. Finally, we highlight a selection of compelling applications that have emerged over the past 5 years, illustrating how voltage imaging evolved from a proof of concept to being deployed to answer pending neuroscientific questions.

The striatum is a major cortical input site of the basal ganglia and plays a critical role in the control of orofacial movements such as licking. However, how striatal activity relates to the spatial features of licking behavior remains unclear. In this study, we examined whether neural activity in the striatal matrix and striosomal compartments is associated with the spatial position of a licking target during an operant task. Head-fixed male mice performed a licking task in which the target positions were varied across three spatial dimensions. Using fiber photometry in Calb1-IRES-Cre (n = 7) and Pdyn-IRES-Cre (n = 6) mice, we recorded calcium signals from matrix and striosomal neurons. Associations between neural activity, target position, and behavioral variables were quantified using linear mixed-effects modeling with cross-validation. Matrix activity prior to the first detected lick was associated with reaction time and the dorsal-ventral target position. During licking, matrix activity was associated with the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral positions, independent of reaction time and lick count, whereas striosomal activity was associated with the dorsal-ventral position. These associations were correlational and differed in strength. The association between matrix activity and the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral positions was the most robust. The present findings are limited to male mice and to the hemisphere ipsilateral to the spout.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) exhibit remarkable functional heterogeneity, with conserved subtypes observed across diverse malignancies. However, their shared roles in shaping the tumor microenvironment (TME) and their dynamic plasticity remain incompletely understood. In this study, through integrated single-cell and spatial transcriptomic profiling across four cancer types, we identified two distinct immunomodulatory CAF states, termed antigen-presenting CAFs (apCAFs) and matrix-producing CAFs (mCAFs). Across multiple solid tumors, apCAFs were associated with enhanced anti-tumor immune features and favorable prognosis, whereas mCAFs were associated with immunosuppressive characteristics and poorer clinical outcomes. Spatial analyses revealed distinct localization patterns of apCAFs and mCAFs within the TME. Functionally, patient-derived apCAFs promoted T-cell migration, proliferation, and activation, whereas mCAFs suppressed these responses in vitro. Pan-cancer analyses further revealed a strong inverse correlation between apCAF and mCAF abundance across tumor tissues. Mechanistically, IFN-γ and TGF-β-associated signaling contexts were linked to distinct CAF transcriptional programs, with IFN-γ promoting apCAF-associated features and TGF-β favoring mCAF-associated features, suggesting a potential role of cytokine context in shaping CAF state heterogeneity. Clinically, apCAFs correlated with favorable immunotherapy response, whereas mCAFs predicted poor therapeutic outcomes. Collectively, these findings identify conserved immunomodulatory CAF subtypes across cancers, reveal distinct cytokine-associated CAF programs, and support stromal reprogramming as a promising strategy to enhance immunotherapy efficacy.