All-optical osteotomy to create windows for transcranial imaging in mice

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering
• Optical Imaging

Background:

• Surgical procedures for optical imaging in neuroscience are time-consuming.
• Developing automated methods is crucial for advancing experimental neuroscience.
• Current techniques limit the speed and efficiency of preparing animal models for imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To automate the creation of a thinned skull window for transcranial optical imaging.
• To investigate the use of nonlinear optical techniques for surgical osteotomy.
• To enable high-resolution imaging of subsurface brain structures and functions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized nonlinear optical techniques, specifically second harmonic generation (SHG) metrology, for skull surface mapping and defining a cutting path.
• Employed plasma-mediated laser ablation for precise bone cutting to create the thinned skull window.
• Assessed brain tissue viability through histological analysis post-procedure.

Main Results:

• Successfully created thinned skull windows using solely optical methods.
• Enabled imaging of subsurface cortical vasculature and blood flow in mice.
• Confirmed the viability of brain tissue after the optical osteotomy procedure.

Conclusions:

• Nonlinear optical techniques, including SHG metrology and laser ablation, can automate surgical osteotomy for cranial window preparation.
• This approach significantly reduces the limitations of traditional surgical methods in experimental neuroscience.
• The developed technique holds promise for broader applications in optical surgery and in vivo imaging.