Equipment: NSF MRI: Acquisition of Two-Photon Microscope for Non-Human Primate Research

An award is made to Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) to acquire a two-photon microscope system dedicated to understanding higher cognitive function in the brain. The instrument will meet the needs for several cutting-edge projects of WashU’s researchers that are not possible with currently available instruments. This multiphoton microscope will be the only microscope dedicated to this type of research in Missouri and surrounding states. The instrument will democratize neuroscience, through making the imaging data obtained with the instrument publicly available in open-access repositories, and by allowing external researchers to make use of the instrument in collaboration with scientists at WashU. The instrument will be integrated into educational activities and available for research projects of undergraduate and graduate students. To understand complex cognition, research with primates is critical because key components of human cognition depend on primate-specific brain specializations. The instrument allows researchers to study large populations of brain cells during complex cognition. Through high spatial resolution and cell-type specificity, the instrument offers complementary advantages to existing technologies, and will thereby unlock cutting-edge research aimed at understanding how the circuits in the primate brain perform complex cognition. Additionally, the work with this microscope could lead to commercialization of new discoveries. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.