Adaptive optics stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (AO-STORM) by particle swarm optimization

Area of Science:

• Biophysics
• Optical Microscopy
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) offers high resolution (<20nm) for single cells.
• Optical aberrations in biological samples degrade STORM resolution by reducing localization accuracy.
• Adaptive optics (AO) can correct wavefront aberrations to restore STORM resolution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop robust optimization algorithms for real-time wavefront correction in AO-STORM.
• To implement a particle swarm optimization (PSO) approach with a Fourier metric for aberration correction.
• To demonstrate AO-STORM's capability for deep-tissue imaging in biological samples.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm.
• Utilizing a Fourier metric for wavefront aberration correction.
• Application of AO-STORM to image deep within the central nervous system (CNS) of Drosophila melanogaster larvae.

Main Results:

• Real-time correction of wavefront aberrations during STORM acquisition was achieved.
• Successful imaging of boutons 100 μm deep within the Drosophila CNS.
• A resolution of 146 nm was attained in deep-tissue STORM imaging.

Conclusions:

• The PSO-based AO approach effectively corrects aberrations in STORM microscopy.
• This method enables high-resolution imaging deep within scattering biological tissues.
• AO-STORM with PSO is a promising technique for neurobiology and other deep-tissue imaging applications.