Thumb-sized microscope captures images deep inside the brains of active animals

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03395-z

by gigama • 4 years ago

56 3 4 years ago

gigama• 4 years ago

"After years of development, researchers have managed to shrink two-photon microscopy into a device that can be mounted on rodents' heads without impeding behaviour."

"[The] thumb-sized two-photon fluorescence microscope... can illuminate and record living tissue at depths that are unattainable with conventional fluorescence microscopes. Weighing just 2.4 grams, the Mini2P can be attached to the head of a mouse and track the activity of hundreds, even thousands, of neurons while the animal runs, climbs and leaps from a platform."

"The Mini2P achieves 'nearly as good' resolution as a bulky bench-top two-photon system. It is also open-source, with parts lists and instructional videos available on GitHub."

https://github.com/kavli-ntnu/MINI2P_toolbox

ArtWomb• 4 years ago

If two photons are better than one, why not Doc Edgerton style "strobes"? Too much data generated? Too much energy required?

Am finding it difficult to get useful unbiased quantitative measurements from two-photon excitation, cryo-em, etc. Alter the warp parameters, and the capillary branch network is altered. Not to mention what CV magic the STED-superresolution capture has baked in. Really useful for in vivo "movies". But you can't beat good slide prep, sota ccd capture, carl zeiss mag and statistical sampling. Fine cell structure determination down to angstrom limits can be estimated with only a few slices and proper design of experiments ;)

https://www.leica-microsystems.com/products/confocal-microsc...

metadat• 4 years ago

Is it necessary to drill a hole in the head of the subject to use this tiny microscope?

Thumb-sized microscope captures images deep inside the brains of active animals

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