Transcranial optical imaging of neural activity in deep brain structurtes in mice

我们开发了一种新的光学方法来成像小鼠脑深部结构中的神经活动。我们在近红外范围内使用了宏共焦显微镜。一般来说，共焦显微镜只使用通过微小针孔的一部分光。从而扩大了针孔的直径，提高了我们的宏共焦显微镜的灵敏度。我们用近红外荧光探针NIR815标记红细胞，并将其应用于小鼠。在这些小鼠中，由视觉刺激引起的依赖活动的血流动力学反应在距皮质表面约2.5 mm深的外侧膝状体被成功成像。

We developed a new optical method for imaging neural activity in deep brain structures in mice. We used a macroconfocal microscope in a near-infrared range. Generally,a confocal microscope uses only a part of light passing through a tiny pinhole. Therefore,the diameter of a pinhole was expanded, and sensitivity of our macroconfocal microscopewas strengthened. We labeled red blood cells (RBC) with NIR815, a near-infraredfluorescent probe, and applied the fluorescent RBCs to mice. In these mice,activity-dependent hemodynamic responses elicited by visual stimuli were successfullyimaged in the lateral geniculate body, which located approximately 2.5 mm deep from thecortical surface.