Photometry System

The Tucker Davis Technologies (TDT) Lux Fiber Photometry System is a workstation and computer processor built specifically for fiber photometry data acquisition and processing. This process involves modulating different wavelengths of light at very specific sinusoidal frequencies and then receiving that signal back, at rates of up to 50 KHz, and demodulating it in real time. The Synapse software and accompanying computer card are required to control the processor. Our collaborating groups in the Laboratory on Neuronal Circuits and Behavior use several existing Tucker Davis Technologies RZ10x processors and our pilot data collection with their systems has been successful enough that we would like to replicate their data acquisition setup in our own Unit. We will use this system to perform critical experiments to test a key idea in our research program related to the role of dopamine and acetylcholine in learning about the timing of rewards. These studies will inform our understanding of the brain basis of impulsivity and compulsive behaviors. With two complete acquisition setups, we will be able to acquire data from four individual subjects concurrently, making it feasible to acquire sufficient data in a reasonable time for these studies.