Three dimensional two-photon brain imaging in freely moving mice using a miniature fiber coupled microscope with active axial-scanning

BN Ozbay, etc
Scientific Reports, 2018


We present a miniature head mounted two-photon fiber-coupled microscope (2P-FCM) for neuronal imaging with active axial focusing enabled using a miniature electrowetting lens. We show three-dimensional two-photon imaging of neuronal structure and record neuronal activity from GCaMP6s fluorescence from multiple focal planes in a freely-moving mouse. Two-color simultaneous imaging of GFP and tdTomato fluorescence is also demonstrated. Additionally, dynamic control of the axial scanning of the electrowetting lens allows tilting of the focal plane enabling neurons in multiple depths to be imaged in a single plane. Two-photon imaging allows increased penetration depth in tissue yielding a working distance of 450¿µm with an additional 180¿µm of active axial focusing. The objective NA is 0.45 with a lateral resolution of 1.8¿µm, an axial resolution of 10¿µm, and a field-of-view of 240¿µm diameter. The 2P-FCM has a weight of only ~2.5¿g and is capable of repeatable and stable head-attachment. The 2P-FCM with dynamic axial scanning provides a new capability to record from functionally distinct neuronal layers, opening new opportunities in neuroscience research.

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Journal
Scientific Reports
Year
2018
Page
doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-26326-3
Institute
University of Colorado Denver