Two-Photon Fluorescence Microscope Provides a Glimpse Into the Future

The Two-Photon fluorescence microscope takes humanity one step closer to being able to interact with its surroundings using only thought.

Monitoring brain activity has been a core component of neuroscience since the capability first emerged. The human brain is less understood than the universe and oceans. As such, there's a massive effort to unravel the mysteries that lie within your mind. Now, researchers can delve deeper into mental activity in real time using a revolutionary two-photon fluorescence microscope method. Here's what you need to know.

Understanding brain activity is crucial for many industries, including treating neurological diseases like Alzheimer's. Scientists have spent considerable effort unraveling how neurons communicate and interact during thought. The goal of this research is to fully understand complex neural interactions down to cellular resolution.

Researchers hope to use this data to shed light on fundamental brain functions which could one day lead to improved learning, memory, decision-making, and health care. To accomplish this task they created an advanced two-photon imaging tool capable of tracking dynamic neural processes in real-time, enabling a deeper insight into the brain during learning, activities, and disease states.

Current Methods of Registering Brain Activity

There are several methods of registering brain activity in use today. These approaches have helped the industry develop to this date. However, they do have some significant drawbacks including that they take more time to monitor activity, can be harmful to the patient, and are cost-prohibitive. The two most common methods in use today include Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and Electroencephalography (EEG).

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging is one of the most advanced methods used to monitor brain waves today. This non-invasive procedure integrates magnetic fields and radio waves to create a 3D image of your brain's electromagnetic pulses. This strategy marked a major improvement over previous options as it allowed researchers to zoom in on a particular set of neurons, improving their overall understanding of brain activity greatly.

Electroencephalography (EEG)

Another method that you may have seen in movies is Electroencephalography. This approach measures your brain's electrical activity. Patients need to place special sensors on their scalp that are sensitive to electrical currents. This method of tracking brain waves has been used since 1975 when Richard Caton first used it to track the electrical pulses found in rabbits' and monkeys' brains with success.

Since then, this method of registering brain activity has improved significantly. In the 1950s, the first modern iteration of the EEG was introduced. It served faithfully as the primary method of tracking brain waves into the 1980s. In 1988, it was used to enable a person, to control a robot and is still used by many researchers.

Study

The study “High-speed two-photon microscopy with adaptive line-excitation” was published in Optica revealing how two-photon microscopy can provide unmatched high-speed images of neural activity. These photos were made at a cellular resolution using a purpose-built two-photon fluorescence microscope.

Two-Photon Fluorescence Microscope

The Two-Photon fluorescence microscope is capable of providing vibrant images deep into brain tissue. To accomplish this task, the mechanism introduces an adaptive sampling structure. This structure would be repeated throughout the experiment to create dynamic 3d images and maps of brain activity.

Adaptive Sampling Strategy

At the core of the study is the introduction of the adaptive sampling strategy. This method replaces traditional point illumination techniques. Instead, a more effective line illumination strategy is employed alongside an updated point scanning method that provides far more detail and monitoring capabilities compared to past methods.

Point Scanning

Point scanning in old methods left much to be desired. For one, it was extremely specific which would often lead to the inability to track an entire neuron sequence across the brain. The new point scanning method uses an altered line illumination strategy to imitate high-resolution point scanning methods. This strategy is crucial in identifying what areas of the brain need to move on to the next step of the process, line scanning.

Line Illumination

L’éclairage des lignes est une avancée majeure pour les ingénieurs en neurologie. La méthode projette une petite ligne de lumière sur une zone échantillonnée. Cette approche excite la fluorescence, ce qui facilite le suivi des signaux neurologiques dans le cerveau du début à la fin. De plus, cette approche permet d’exciter, de scanner et de cartographier une zone beaucoup plus grande du cerveau en temps réel.

Test au microscope à deux photons

La phase de test du microscope à fluorescence à deux photons a impliqué deux souris de laboratoire, dans lesquelles les chercheurs ont pu suivre l'activité neuronale dans le cortex d'une souris en temps réel. Notamment, l’unité peut actuellement capturer des signaux d’image jusqu’à 198 Hz. Dans ce test, les ingénieurs ont suivi les signaux calciques qui peuvent signaler une activité neuronale récente.

Dispositif à micromiroir numérique (DMD)

Pour accomplir cette tâche, un motif de faisceau laser spécialement configuré est formé à l'aide d'un dispositif à micromiroir numérique (DMD). Cette unité contient des milliers de miroirs microscopiques. Chacun de ces miroirs possède des commandes individuelles qui leur permettent de façonner et de cibler la lumière sur des parties précises du cerveau. De plus, les miroirs peuvent être configurés pour s'activer

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