Product Description

Thomas RECORDING LED light sources are a key part of the optical setups for optogenetic studies. The LED-light sources are used for photo-excitation or photo-inhibition in in-vivo or in-vitro optogenetic experiments. Our LED-light sources offer well-defined spectral, temporal, and spatial control as well as homogenous and constant illumination. In experiments involving multiple opsins, narrow emission spectrum is important to selectivily activate each opsin. In some experiments illumination stability is vital because any fluctuations or “hot spots” may cause inconsistent protein activation in the cells under illumination. Using Thomas RECORDING LED illumination systems for optogenetics studies provides many advantages compared to laser-based systems, including Illumination Homogeneity and Stability, Opsin Selectivity, Light Switching, Illumination Intensity Control and Versatility.

LED-Light Source

Thomas RECORDING LED light sources are avaialble in different colors (e.g. blue, yellow, green, etc.). The light source has a connection for TREC special optical fiber connectors, which ensures a secure connection between the optical fiber and the high-performance LED integrated in the light source housing. The power loss converted into heat by the LED is safely dissipated into the ambient air by the heat sinks integrated into the aluminum housing of the light source.

IMPORTANT POWER OUTPUT NOTE: Thomas RECORDING has taken extra care to provide the typical power outputs that are actually experienced at the tip of a TREC optical fiber tip attached to a TREC LED Module. Other companies typically present the power output from the module itself, which represents the highest value possible. However, a more realistic number is that of the power output from the tip of an attached optical patch cable of appropriate fiber size, The information provided for our LED modules represents the more realistic performance – and is only achievable if using the TREC high performance products for optogenetic experiments. Any substitutions will not yield the high powers reported on this page. If comparing Thomas RECORDING products to those of other companies, be certain to verify if the power output reported is directly from the LED module, or the LED module plus TREC optical fiber!

• High brightness LED technique

• Optical fiber output: 382 mW/sqmm

(TREC optical fiber OD=120/ID=100 µm connected to blue LED source, see note below)

• Small dimensions

• Lightweight design

• Aluminium housing

• Continuous high power operation by using aluminium heat sink

• Constant-current LED controller avaialble

Features:

Mounting of LED light source

TREC offers custom-made mounts for its LED light sources so that the light sources can be positioned as close as possible to the animal. Two examples are shown in the following pictures. Other mounting options are available on request!

TREC LED light source and optical fiber mounted to a standard electrode holder  

TREC LED light source and optical fiber mounted to a Thomas multielectrode microdrive type "Eckhron Matrix" 

Ordering Information

LED Light Source

Product Brochure

Selected Publications

[1] Lima, S.Q.; Hromádka, T.; Znamenskiy, P.; Zador, A.M.;

PINP: A new method of tagging neuronal populations for identification during in vivo electrophysiological recording;

PLos ONE, July 2009, Vol 4, Issue 7

[2] J. A. Pochapski, J. Franke, W. Kruse, R. Jacob, S. Herlitze, C. Da Cunha, R. K. W. Schwarting, L. Melo-Thomas

Optogenetic stimulation of inferior colliculus neurons elicits mesencephalic locomotor region activity and reverses haloperidol-induced catalepsy in rats

Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 12;15(1):12649. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-96995-4.

[3] J. Hüer, P. Saxena, S. Treue

Pathway-selective optogenetics reveals the functional anatomy of top–down attentional modulation in the macaque visual cortex

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 121 (3), e2304511121

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