# Multiscale imaging of marmoset cortex during visual object recognition and learning

> **NIH NIH R34** · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2020 · $720,014

## Abstract

SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Anthropoid primates (monkeys, apes, and humans) are distinguished from their phylogenetically nearest
relatives (lemurs, tree shrews, and rodents) by an elaboration of the cerebral cortex including changes in
cellular composition of the cortical circuit. However, we know very little about the function of different cell types
in the anthropoid primate cortex partly because of slow adoption of the tools that have been so successful in
rodents (cell type-specific optogenetics and imaging). The present proposal utilizes the common marmoset, a
small anthropoid primate with a flat cortex, that allows direct adoption of cellular imaging techniques from
rodents. We will develop (1) wide-field optical imaging for collecting 2D maps across large swaths (5-10 mm) of
the marmoset visual cortex and (2) fast, volumetric two-photon imaging across layers within a cortical column
(400 microns^3 volume acquisition). We will collaborate closely with optical engineers who developed wide-
field and volumetric two-photon imaging techniques in mice. As a first application of these methods in the
marmoset, we measure the functional properties of marmoset object-selective cortex, collecting wide-field
maps of object selectivity followed by two-photon imaging of the information communicated between cortical
areas by labeled feedforward and feedback projection cells. This project thus builds an imaging platform for
launching a long-term research program to understand the role of different cell types in the highly evolved
visual cortex of anthropoid primates.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9978313
- **Project number:** 1R34NS116739-01
- **Recipient organization:** COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** Elias Issa
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $720,014
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-04-15 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9978313

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9978313, Multiscale imaging of marmoset cortex during visual object recognition and learning (1R34NS116739-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9978313. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*