School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA.
Bindley Bioscience Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA.
Nat Commun. 2024 Feb 3;15(1):1031. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-45434-5.
The advance of genetic function indicators has enabled the observation of neuronal activities at single-cell resolutions. A major challenge for the applications on mammalian brains is the limited optical access depth. Currently, the method of choice to access deep brain structures is to insert miniature optical components. Among these validated miniature optics, the gradient-index (GRIN) lens has been widely employed for its compactness and simplicity. However, due to strong fourth-order astigmatism, GRIN lenses suffer from a small imaging field of view, which severely limits the measurement throughput and success rate. To overcome these challenges, we developed geometric transformation adaptive optics (GTAO), which enables adaptable achromatic large-volume correction through GRIN lenses. We demonstrate its major advances through in vivo structural and functional imaging of mouse brains. The results suggest that GTAO can serve as a versatile solution to enable large-volume recording of deep brain structures and activities through GRIN lenses.
遗传功能指标的进步使得能够在单细胞分辨率下观察神经元活动。应用于哺乳动物大脑的一个主要挑战是有限的光学进入深度。目前，用于进入深部脑结构的方法是插入微型光学元件。在这些经过验证的微型光学元件中，梯度折射率 (GRIN) 透镜因其紧凑性和简单性而被广泛使用。然而，由于强烈的四阶像散，GRIN 透镜的成像视场很小，这严重限制了测量的通量和成功率。为了克服这些挑战，我们开发了几何变换自适应光学 (GTAO)，它通过 GRIN 透镜实现了自适应消色差大容量校正。我们通过对小鼠大脑的活体结构和功能成像证明了它的主要优势。结果表明，GTAO 可以作为一种通用的解决方案，通过 GRIN 透镜实现深部脑结构和活动的大容量记录。
