Fiber Photometry Solutions
Choose the right fiber photometry system for YOUR exeprimental needs.

All-in-one solutions
- Acquisition -> Data analysis
- Combine with behavior
- Compatible with optogenetics
- Plug-and-play
Fiber Photometry Systems
Fiber photometry is a neuroimaging technique that monitors neuronal activity in freely-moving animals. This technique utilises genetically encoded fluorescent indicators (e.g. GCaMP, dLight, GRAB-Ach, RCaMP, jRGECO1) expressed in target brain regions. These indicators fluorescence only when bound to melocules such as calcium, dopamine or acetylcholine, reporting real-time molecular dynamics during complex behaviors.
Unlike Doric Miniscopes, which resolve single-cell activity, fiber photometry records population signals (i.e bulk fluorescence from labelled neurons). But unlike microscopy, fiber photometry is minimally invasive, optimized for multi-animal & multi-site experiments, and more cost-effective.

Fiber photometry system are composes of several core components that, together, combine multiple wavelengths into a single or mutliple fiber(s) and collect the emitted fluorescence response, including:
- Console
- LED Driver & LEDs
- Fluorescence mini cube (FMC)
- Fiber-optic patch cords
- Rotary Joints (commutators)
- Fiber-optic cannulas
- Data Acquisition & Analysis Softwares
The latest generations of Doric systems integrate multiple components into a single device, providing several advantages. Learn more.
Browse below the role of each fiber photometry component:
Doric Lenses Inc. is a recognized leader in advanced fiber photometry solutions for behaving animals, driving innovation in this rapidly evolving field. Each system was carefully engineered to address the specific experimental needs & challenges. The three main types of Fibers Photometry Systems are split into categories based on the type of detector.
Explore how Doricâs fiber photometry systems compare across key metrics.
SYSTEM COMPARISON
This side-by-side comparison highlights differences in channel configuration, maximum number of site/animal(s), dual-color & optogenetics compatibility, and advanced features across seven distinct fiber photometry systems.
| FEATURES | BASIC FIBER PHOTOMETRY | BUNDLE-IMAGING FIBER PHOTOMETRY | LIFETIME | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic (G3) | RFMC | WiFP | BFMC-G3 | BFTO | RBFMC-G2 | FluoPulse⢠| |||
| Fiber Photometry | Flexible isosbestic |
n/a | |||||||
Max # sites |
Up to 8 Up to 4 |
1-2 | 1 |
Up to 9-19* | Up to 9-19* | Up to 7-19* | 1-2 1 |
||
Multi-animal(separate cage) |
Up to 4 Up to 8 |
Up to 4 |
1-2 |
||||||
Multi-animal(interacting in same cage) |
Up to 4 | ||||||||
| Optogenetics | Same site as photometry |
> + 590 nm |
|||||||
| or + 638 nm | |||||||||
| Different site as photometry | |||||||||
| Behavior (Rotary joint/ commutator) | >Long-term freely-moving behavior (hours+) |
** | 2-4 h | ** | ** | ||||
| Integrated rotary joint(abolishes rotary-related artifacts) | n/a | n/a | |||||||
| Interacting animals | |||||||||
| Fluid injection during freely-moving behavior | |||||||||
| Ephys / EEG & EMG during freely-moving behavior | ** | ** | ** | ** | |||||
* Depending on fiber core diameter (9 x 400µm core OR 19 x 200µm core)
** with the addition of a non-integrated rotary joint (max 2-sites per animal)
FMC: Fluorescence Mini Cube, RFMC: Rotary Fluorescence Mini Cube
Combine your Systems with...
Fiber photometry experiments are often paired with other experimental modalities including measuring behavior, manipulation neural activity (optogenetics & fluid delivery) or other neural recordings (electrophysiology).
Behavior is commonly combined with fiber photometry to correlate population-level neural activity with specific behavioral states, enabling functional interpretation of circuit dynamics. Typcal behaviors include reward learning, reinforcement tasks, anxiety-related assays (open field, elevated plus maze, etc.), social interaction paradigms, operant decision-making tasks, and locomotor or consummatory behaviors, among many more.
Cameras, such as the Doric Behavior Camera and CamLoop, are ideal for this purpose as they are triggered with TTL pulses. This is ideal because it provides precise hardware-level temporal synchronization between behavioral video acquisition and fiber photometry signals, ensuring accurate alignment over entire hour+ recording without any drift.
The following are common Doric accessories that are paired with fiber photometry systems:
Optogenetics is often combined with fiber photometry to causally manipulates a neural population of interest, directly linking intervention to functional outcomes. In addition, all Doric Light Sources can be triggered for close-loop optogenetics stimulation. This means they can be triggered by a behavior (either TTL pulse or animal tracking) or directly by a increase in neural activity (NEW!).
Optogenetics component can be either independent (two seperate optic fiber for fiber photometry and optogenetics, respectively) or simultaneous (one optic fiber, using different excitation wavelegths to seperate fiber photometry and optogenetics). In the bundle-imaging systems with targeted optogenetics (BFTO), the term 'targeted' refers to independent spatiotemporal control on each site within the fibers bundle, making it compatible with multi-animal, close-loop optogenetics experiments.
INDEPENDENT:
See Optogenetics Solution Page
Common light sources include:
- CLED_HP: 465 nm
- Laser Diodes: 450nm, 520nm or 638 nm.
- LISERâ¢: 590 nm, 638 nm
SIMULTANEOUS:
Several Doric Fiber Photometry Systems are compatible with this option. Check the System Comparison Table for a detailed breakdown.
The following wavelengths do NOT cause crosstalk in the fiber photometry :
- Green Fiber Photometry: 590 nm or 638 nm
- Red Fiber Photometry: 638nm
- Green & Red Fiber Photometry: 638 nm
NOTE: We do not recommend pairing blue optogenetics with red fiber photometry (in the same site) as it tends to causes artifacts in the red fiber photometry signal.
Fiber photometry is often combined with cranial, intraperitoneal, or subcutaneous fluid injections. Combining these to methods is useful to monitor real-time neural activity while administering drugs, chemogenetic ligands, or receptor agonists/antagonists, enabling direct assessment of their effects on specific circuits. This approach is also widely used in self-administration experiments to link voluntary drug intake to dynamic neural responses. Optofluidic cannula's have also be used to deliver viral injection to express the biosensor (GCaMP, etc.).
All Doric Fiber Photometry Systems can be paired with opto-fluidic cannulas for sequential injection at the site of the fiber photometry measures.
Note that the Rotary Fiber Photometry System is the only option for simultaneous fluid injections during freely-moving behaviors. The hollow core in the rotary joint is designed prevents the fluid tubing from tangling with the optic fibers and impeding naturalistic behaviors. This system is ideal for long experiments over hours/days.
Fiber photometry is often combined with electrophysiology recordings to link population-level calcium or neuromodulator signals with high-temporal-resolution spiking activity from the same or connected neural circuits. This multimodal approach helps validate photometry signals, bridge single-unit and ensemble dynamics, and reveal how circuit activity unfolds across timescales.
Fiber photometry is often combined with EEG and EMG recordings to relate cell-typeâspecific neural or neuromodulator signals to global brain states and muscle activity with high temporal precision. This integration enables direct mapping of circuit dynamics onto behavioral and physiological states such as arousal, movement, and sleepâwake transitions. Key applications include: sleep and vigilance studies, seizure and epilepsy research, motor control and movement onset analysis, anesthesia and arousal modulation, and state-dependent neuromodulatory signaling.
ADDING EXTERNAL ROTARY JOINT
Single (1x1) or dual-fiber (2x2) rotary joints can be added to most Doric fiber photometry systems. Make sure to use pigtailed rotary joints (PT) as these are specialy designed to minimize rotation-related artifacts.
INTEGRATED ROTARY JOINT FIBER PHOTOMETRY SYSTEMS
However, to completely ABOLISH rotation-related artifacts, we recommend Rotary basic (1- or 2-sites) or Rotary Bundle Fiber Photometry Systems (3+ sites). In these systems, the detector (and fluorescence mini cube) is built-on to the rotary joint base, such that the detection happens during the rotation. Then it is the electrical signal from the detector that is transfered through the rotary joint (not the optical signal), completely by-passing the artifacts.
User-friendly data acquisition software

Doric Neuroscience Studio
FREE data acquisition software
Intuitive software with multiple modalities for controling all doric devices, from minisope to photometry, behavior and optogenetics.
All-in-one data analysis software
danse⢠- data analysis solution
Automate Find Cell with integrated CaImAn, MiniAn, or Suit2p and streamline your parameter selection with multiple preview steps, without any coding required!Align cell traces with animal behavior, for batch processing all in one software.
















































