UCLA Miniscope Project
News and updates from the UCLA Miniscope Project and the wider Miniscope community.
Introducing Miniscope-IO (mio)
Miniscope-IO (mio) is a new Python-based software platform being developed by Dr. Jonny Saunders that aims to make it easier to control Miniscope devices and customize data acquisition. Rather than using separate software for different devices, mio will provide a common interface across Miniscope models. It also gives researchers more flexibility to modify how data is collected and processed, integrate their own tools, and customize workflows to fit their experiments.
Originally developed for the Miniscope Zero, mio is being expanded to support the Miniscope V4 and future devices.
Tell us how you use Miniscopes
Using a UCLA Miniscope, or thinking about it? Tell us how it's going. The Miniscope User Experience & Support project checks in with current and prospective users to learn where researchers are in their work, which steps of the Miniscope workflow are most challenging, and what support would help most. Your answers help shape Miniscope guides, office hours, and training. The survey is short and open to everyone, whether or not you've attended a workshop. Results are shared as summaries, without names or contact information.
Early responses show that most people are still getting started, that data processing and analysis is the challenge named most often, and that one in four respondents don't know other Miniscope users in their lab, institution, or region. If you've responded before, you're welcome to check in again as your work progresses.
- 3–5 minutes to complete
- Open to current and prospective Miniscope users
- Read more about the project
Explore the latest Miniscope research
Browse published studies in the Publications list and find details on imaging preparations in the Experiment Registry. We've added new work on cooperative foraging, pair bonding, social memory, and fear memory, along with MIMAS, an open-source microlens-array miniscope for imaging the dorsal cortex. The registry records implant coordinates, virus and titer, lens geometry, and time to baseplating. If your publication or imaging preparation isn't listed, please add it to the wiki.
- MIMAS: An open-source microlens-array miniature microscope for accessible large-field cortical imaging in freely behaving mice. Xie et al., Science Advances 2026. Mian Xie et al, PI: Liangyi Chen. Publication · Experiment
- Asymmetric prefrontal representations for leader–follower dynamics. Cheng et al., Nature 2026. Yuan Cheng et al, PI: Herbert Wu. Publication · Experiment
- Accumbal calcium-permeable AMPA receptors orchestrate neuronal ensembles underlying social attachment. El-Kalliny et al., Nature Communications 2026. Mostafa El-Kalliny et al, PI: Zoe Donaldson. Publication · Experiment
- Hippocampal-cortical interactions in the consolidation of social memory. Park et al., Nature Communications 2025. Gaeun Park et al, PI: Yong-Seok Lee. Publication · Experiments: IL–NAcSh, vCA1 inactivation
- Temporally gated offline engram ensemble reverberation in the lateral amygdala is required for fear memory consolidation. Park et al., PNAS 2026. Sungmo Park et al, PI: Sheena Josselyn. Publication · Experiment
Stay tuned for 2027 workshop announcements
We're planning the next round of Miniscope workshops and aim to confirm dates and locations by the end of 2026. We'll share details in this newsletter and on the Workshops page as they're finalized.
Bring your questions to office hours
Join the Miniscope team every other Friday, 10–11 AM Pacific, for help with hardware, surgery, imaging, data analysis, and troubleshooting. Bring a question, a build in progress, or a dataset, and drop in for a few minutes or stay for the hour. Sessions are recorded to help us write documentation, so please register even if you're not sure you can attend.
Upcoming sessions
Get involved
Add your publications and imaging preparations to the wiki, share your questions on the forum, join the mailing list, or attend an event.
- Upcoming events Workshops, talks, and training.
Talk: before the page name in the address bar (for example, miniscope.org/wiki/Talk:Miniscope_V4).