Summary: Researchers have developed a new two-photon fluorescence microscope that captures high-speed images of neural activity with greater speed and less harm to brain tissue, offering enhanced real-time imaging for studying brain functions and diseases.
Key Takeaways
- The new two-photon fluorescence microscope captures high-speed images of neural activity with significantly less harm to brain tissue, offering improved real-time imaging for studying brain functions.
- The microscope uses an adaptive sampling scheme and line illumination, enabling in vivo imaging at speeds 10 times faster than traditional methods while reducing laser power on the brain by more than tenfold.
- The researchers demonstrated the microscope’s ability to isolate individual neuron activity and plan to integrate voltage imaging capabilities for broader neuroscience applications.
————————————————————————————————————————————
Researchers have developed a new two-photon fluorescence microscope that captures high-speed images of neural activity at cellular resolution, imaging faster and with less harm to brain tissue than traditional methods.
Real-Time Neural Network Studies
“Our new microscope is ideally suited for studying the dynamics of neural networks in real time, which is crucial for understanding fundamental brain functions such as learning, memory, and decision-making,” says Weijian Yang, PhD, associate professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Davis.
In Optica, the researchers describe the new microscope, which uses an adaptive sampling scheme and line illumination. This method enables in vivo imaging of neuronal activity in a mouse cortex at speeds 10 times faster than traditional two-photon microscopy while reducing laser power on the brain more than tenfold.
“By providing a tool that can observe neuronal activity in real time, our technology could be used to study the pathology of diseases at the earliest stages,” says Yunyang Li, a PhD candidate at the Johns Hopkins University and first author of the paper.
Advancements in Brain Imaging
The researchers used the microscope to image calcium signals, indicators of neural activity, in living mouse brain tissue at 198 Hz, demonstrating its ability to monitor rapid neuronal events missed by slower methods. They also showed that the adaptive line-excitation technique, combined with advanced algorithms, makes it possible to isolate the activity of individual neurons, crucial for understanding the brain’s functional architecture.
Next steps include integrating voltage imaging capabilities into the microscope to capture rapid neural activity and applying the method to real neuroscience applications. The team also aims to improve the microscope’s user-friendliness and reduce its size for broader use in research.
