The Siskiyou IS-OGP is a simple, turnkey, modular solution (patent pending) for integrating an external laser beam into an existing microscope in optogenetics experiments that utilize a laser spot to stimulate target neurons in the cortex of lab animals. Specifically, the IS OGP provides a means to introduce a fiber-coupled laser beam into the infinity space of leading optical microscopes having a trinocular setup (including those from Nikon, Olympus, and Zeiss), and then to position the focused laser stimulation spot (10 µm typical with 20X objective) with sub-micron accuracy, anywhere within the field of view.
The IS-OGP optomechanical module accepts a single-mode, FC connectorized fiber optic cable input from the light source, thus enabling rapid connection and “hot-swapping” of any single-mode, fiber-coupled laser. The system then internally collimates the fiber output and introduces it into the microscope through a user-specified dichroic beamsplitter. Independent x and y axis positional control of the focused laser spot is provided by two differential drive screws which permit scanning and positioning of a focused laser beam anywhere in the microscope field of view. These can be operated manually or automatically using Siskiyou’s DC servo drivers, long-proven in other demanding photonic applications, such as patch clamp experiments and laser cavity optimization.
The broadband optical performance of the integrated fiber connector and collimator makes the IS OGP ideal for all types of optogenetic stimulation, including opsins like ChR1 and ChR2 as well as longer wavelength activators like C1V1. It is also applicable to both visible (one-photon) and near-infrared (two-photon) excitation of these opsins and other activators.