Wednesday, January 15, 2025 1/15/2025

Optimization and dissemination of non-linear Acousto-Optic Lens two-photon microscopy for high speed multiscale 3D imaging

Award Number: U01NS113273
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

Group Awards By:

View Award Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY To understand brain function, it is essential to identify how information is represented in neuronal population activity and how it is transformed by individual neurons as it flows through microcircuits. Two-photon (2P) microscopy is a core tool for this because it enables neuronal activity to be monitored at high spatial resolution deep within brain tissue in behaving animals. However, the temporal resolution of conventional galvanometer-based 2P microscopy severely limits measurements of fast signaling in 3D neuronal circuits. Acousto-optic lens (AOL) microscopy, which enables fast focussing and selective imaging of regions of interest distributed within the imaging volume, has substantially improved the temporal resolution of 3D 2P microscopy. But current AOL microscopes, which rely on linear acoustic drive waveforms, suffer from limitations that make them inefficient to monitor signaling in structures that project in the Z dimension. Each change in the focus requires a 24 µs ‘dead time’ to refill the AOL aperture and continuous line scanning is restricted to the selected X-Y focal plane, limiting imaging rates for 3D dendritic trees to a few Hz, rather than the 100-1000 Hz required for monitoring neurotransmitter reporters and voltage indicators. The main aim of this project is to optimize and disseminate nonlinear AOL 3D microscopy, a technology we have invented to overcome these limitations by enabling ultra-fast line scanning (up to 40 kHz) in any arbitrary direction in X, Y and Z. By developing a prototype nonlinear AOL 2P microscope with real time correction of brain movement, we have demonstrated the performance of this technology for high-speed multiscale 3D imaging of neural circuits in awake behaving animals. We will build on these results by optimizing nonlinear AOL microscopy for imaging entire 3D dendritic trees and the surrounding neuronal population at unprecedented speeds. We will develop variants of this dendritic ‘arboreal imaging’ approach to provide low spatial resolution, ultra-high-speed 3D imaging (up to 1 kHz) by combining the fast scanning and adaptive optics properties of nonlinear AOLs. We will also extend the real time FPGA analysis used in our closed loop 3D movement correction to enable ‘attentional imaging’ where active regions of a dendritic tree, or circuit, are rapidly detected and imaged at higher spatio-temporal resolution. These applications will provide the temporal resolution required for monitoring voltage across the entire 3D dendritic tree of pyramidal cells in awake animals for the first time. Moreover, attentional imaging will enable neurotransmitter release to be mapped at high spatiotemporal resolution. Low cost dissemination of this powerful new technology will be achieved by providing US labs and an imaging facility with compact nonlinear AOL modules that will be added to their existing conventional 2P microscopes. By extending our open source microscope GUI software, standardizing data formats with NWB2 and refining automated analysis pipelines, we will also deliver reliable user-friendly microscope control and a semiautomated data analysis framework for the collaborators to carry out experiments on a range of different neural circuits.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2022	2021	UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON	GOWER STREET	LONDON				GBR	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	001	3	1/20/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
2022	2021	UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON	GOWER STREET	LONDON				GBR	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	3	11/30/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $364,120 )
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON	GOWER STREET	LONDON				GBR	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	002	3	8/26/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON	GOWER STREET	LONDON				GBR	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	001	3	8/20/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$364,120
2021	2020	UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON	GOWER STREET	LONDON				GBR	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	2	2/17/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $364,120

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $466,740 )
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON	GOWER STREET	LONDON		WC1E 6BT		GBR	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	2	8/17/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$466,740
														Subtotal = $466,740

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $825,919 )
2019	2019	UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON	GOWER STREET	LONDON		WC1E 6BT		GBR	Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders	000	1	8/30/2019	NEW	$825,919
														Subtotal = $825,919

Grand Total All Awards = $1,656,779

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Optimization and dissemination of non-linear Acousto-Optic Lens two-photon microscopy for high speed multiscale 3D imaging

Award Number: U01NS113273

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer