Diamond Voltage Microscopy: A new tool for neuroscience

本项目旨在开发一种光电电压成像显微镜，可以捕捉神经网络的亚细胞电动力学。这将通过利用该团队在半导体金刚石近表面荧光缺陷生产方面的技术突破来实现，这种缺陷可以光学地检测局部电位的变化。该项目的预期结果是一种新的显微镜模式和实验框架，可以在网络规模和单突触分辨率下进行体外电生理刺激和记录。这将为理解学习、记忆形成和回忆以及认知衰退的机制提供一个急需的工具。

This project aims to develop an optoelectronic voltage imaging microscope that can capture the sub-cellular electrical dynamics of neuronal networks. This will be achieved by leveraging the team’s technological breakthrough in the production of near-surface fluorescent defects in semiconducting diamond, which can optically detect local changes in electric potential. The expected outcomes of the project are a new microscopy modality and experimental framework which enables in vitro electrophysiological stimulation and recording at network scale and with single-synapse resolution. This will provide a much-needed tool to understand mechanisms underlying learning, memory formation and recall, and cognitive decline.