Open source laser-scanning photostimulation for neuroscience with Zapit.

Zapit provides the first open-source general-purpose platform for random-access laser-scanning optogenetic experiments in head-fixed mice, enabling millisecond-precision control.

• Why it matters: Adoption is limited because no general-purpose open-source implementation exists, requiring expertise spanning optics, real-time hardware control, and programming.
• What they did: The team built Zapit with full documentation, a user-friendly GUI, stereotaxic-coordinate support, and easy-to-build hardware options, then validated it using electrophysiological recordings and cortical photoinhibition in behaving mice.
• The result: Zapit’s validated performance in behaving mice supports broader uptake of laser-scanning optogenetics by lowering technical barriers for newly established research groups.