0000000001300441
AUTHOR
Pietro Ricci
Power-effective scanning with AODs for 3D optogenic applications
Two-photon (2P) excitation is a cornerstone approach widely employed in neuroscience microscopy for deep optical access and sub-micrometric-resolution light targeting into the brain. However, besides structural and functional imaging, 2P optogenetic stimulations are less routinary, especially in 3D. This is because of the adopted scanning systems, often feebly effective, slow and mechanically constricted. Faster illumination can be achieved through acousto-optic deflectors (AODs) although their applicability to large volumes excitation has been limited by large efficiency drop along the optical axis. Here, we present a new AOD-based scheme for 2P 3D scanning that improves the power delivery…
Fast multi-directional DSLM for confocal detection without striping artifacts
In recent years light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) has become a cornerstone technology for neuroscience, improving the quality and capabilities of 3D imaging. By selectively illuminating a single plane, it provides intrinsic optical sectioning and fast image recording, while minimizing out of focus fluorescence background, sample photo-damage and photo-bleaching. However, images acquired with LSFM are often affected by light absorption or scattering effects, leading to un-even illumination and striping artifacts. In this work we present an optical solution to this problem, via fast multi-directional illumination of the sample, based on an acousto-optical deflector (AOD). We demonstr…
Two-photon light-sheet microscopy for high-speed whole-brain functional imaging of zebrafish neuronal physiology and pathology
We present the development of a custom-made two-photon light-sheet microscope optimized for high-speed (5 Hz) volumetric imaging of zebrafish larval brain for the analysis of neuronal physiological and pathological activity. High-speed volumetric two-photon light-sheet microscopy is challenging to achieve, due to constrains on the signal-to-noise ratio. To maximize this parameter, we optimized our setup for high peak power of excitation light, while finely controlling its polarization, and we implemented remote scanning of the focal plane to record without disturbing the sample. Two-photon illumination is advantageous for zebrafish larva studies since infra-red excitation does not induce a …
Fast whole-brain imaging of seizures in zebrafish larvae by two-photon light-sheet microscopy
Light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) enables real-time whole-brain functional imaging in zebrafish larvae. Conventional one photon LSFM can however induce undesirable visual stimulation due to the use of visible excitation light. The use of two-photon (2P) excitation, employing near-infrared invisible light, provides unbiased investigation of neuronal circuit dynamics. However, due to the low efficiency of the 2P absorption process, the imaging speed of this technique is typically limited by the signal-to-noise-ratio. Here, we describe a 2P LSFM setup designed for non-invasive imaging that enables quintuplicating state-of-the-art volumetric acquisition rate of the larval zebrafish bra…
Dual-beam confocal light-sheet microscopy via flexible acousto-optic deflector
Confocal detection in digital scanned laser light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (DSLM) has been established as a gold standard method to improve image quality. The selective line detection of a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor camera (CMOS) working in rolling shutter mode allows the rejection of out-of-focus and scattered light, thus reducing background signal during image formation. Most modern CMOS have two rolling shutters, but usually only a single illuminating beam is used, halving the maximum obtainable frame rate. We report on the capability to recover the full image acquisition rate via dual confocal DSLM by using an acoustooptic deflector. Such a simple solution enables us t…
Two-photon high-speed light-sheet volumetric imaging of brain activity during sleep in zebrafish larvae
Although it is well known that zebrafish display the behavioural signature of sleep, the neuronal correlates of this state are not yet completely understood, due to the complexity of the measurements required. For example, when performed with visible excitation light, functional imaging can disrupt the day/night cycle due to the induced visual stimulation. To address this issue, we developed a custom-made two-photon light-sheet microscope optimized for high-speed volumetric imaging. By employing infra-red light (not visible to the larva) for excitation, we are able to record wholebrain neuronal activity with high temporal- and spatial-resolution without affecting the sleep state. In two-pho…
Removing striping artifacts in light-sheet fluorescence microscopy: a review
Abstract In recent years, light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) has found a broad application for imaging of diverse biological samples, ranging from sub-cellular structures to whole animals, both in-vivo and ex-vivo, owing to its many advantages relative to point-scanning methods. By providing the selective illumination of sample single planes, LSFM achieves an intrinsic optical sectioning and direct 2D image acquisition, with low out-of-focus fluorescence background, sample photo-damage and photo-bleaching. On the other hand, such an illumination scheme is prone to light absorption or scattering effects, which lead to uneven illumination and striping artifacts in the images, oriented…
Visualization_1
Volumetric recording of a single CRIW event shown as a selected subset of coronal sections. To produce the time lapse, original 16-bit depth images were converted into 8-bit and JPEG compressed. Scale bar: 100 ��m.
Visualization_2
3D rendering of the lag map shown in Fig. 4a. The lag value is color-coded as specified by the color bar. Scale bar: 100 ��m.
Visualization_1
Volumetric recording of a single CRIW event shown as a selected subset of coronal sections. To produce the time lapse, original 16-bit depth images were converted into 8-bit and JPEG compressed. Scale bar: 100 ��m.
Visualization_2
3D rendering of the lag map shown in Fig. 4a. The lag value is color-coded as specified by the color bar. Scale bar: 100 ��m.