Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China.
Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA.
Neurosci Bull. 2019 Jun;35(3):419-424. doi: 10.1007/s12264-019-00356-x. Epub 2019 Mar 9.
The complex spatial and temporal organization of neural activity in the brain is important for information-processing that guides behavior. Hence, revealing the real-time neural dynamics in freely-moving animals is fundamental to elucidating brain function. Miniature fluorescence microscopes have been developed to fulfil this requirement. With the help of GRadient INdex (GRIN) lenses that relay optical images from deep brain regions to the surface, investigators can visualize neural activity during behavioral tasks in freely-moving animals. However, the application of GRIN lenses to deep brain imaging is severely limited by their availability. Here, we describe a protocol for GRIN lens coating that ensures successful long-term intravital imaging with commercially-available GRIN lenses.
大脑中神经活动的复杂时空组织对于指导行为的信息处理很重要。因此，揭示自由活动动物的实时神经动力学对于阐明大脑功能至关重要。微型荧光显微镜的发展满足了这一要求。借助梯度折射率 (GRIN) 透镜，研究人员可以将来自深部脑区的光学图像传递到表面，从而在自由活动的动物进行行为任务期间可视化神经活动。然而，GRIN 透镜在深部脑成像中的应用受到其可用性的严重限制。在这里，我们描述了一种 GRIN 透镜涂层的方案，该方案确保了商业上可用的 GRIN 透镜进行长期活体成像的成功。
