Simultaneous whole-animal 3D imaging of neuronal activity using light-field microscopy

High-speed, large-scale three-dimensional (3D) imaging of neuronal activity poses a major challenge in neuroscience. Here we demonstrate simultaneous functional imaging of neuronal activity at single-neuron resolution in an entire Caenorhabditis elegans and in larval zebrafish brain. Our technique captures the dynamics of spiking neurons in volumes of ∼700 microm × 700 microm × 200 microm at 20 Hz. Its simplicity makes it an attractive tool for high-speed volumetric calcium imaging.