Subcellular spatial resolution achieved for deep-brain imaging in vivo using a minimally invasive multimode fiber

Journal article

Achieving intravital optical imaging with diffraction-limited spatial resolution of deep-brain structures represents an important step toward the goal of understanding the mammalian central nervous system1,2,3,4. Advances in wavefront-shaping methods and computational power have recently allowed for a novel approach to high-resolution imaging, utilizing deterministic light propagation through optically complex media and, of particular importance for this work, multimode optical fibers (MMFs)5,6,7. We report a compact and highly optimized approach for minimally invasive in vivo brain imaging applications. The volume of tissue lesion was reduced by more than 100-fold, while preserving diffraction-limited imaging performance utilizing wavefront control of light propagation through a single 50-μm-core MMF. Here, we demonstrated high-resolution fluorescence imaging of subcellular neuronal structures, dendrites and synaptic specializations, in deep-brain regions of living mice, as well as monitored stimulus-driven functional Ca2+ responses. These results represent a major breakthrough in the compromise between high-resolution imaging and tissue damage, heralding new possibilities for deep-brain imaging in vivo.

Authors: Vasquez-Lopez, S; Turcotte, R; Koren, V; Ploschner, M; Padamsey, Z

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Springer Nature
• Journal: Light: Science and Applications
• Volume: 7
• Article number: 110
• Publication date: 2018-12-19
• Acceptance date: 2018-12-03
• DOI: 10.1038/s41377-018-0111-0
• EISSN: 2047-7538
• ISSN: 2095-5545