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Shadow imaging for panoptical visualization of brain tissue in vivo
Yulia Dembitskaya1, Andrew K J Boyce1,2,3, Agata Idziak1
1Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, CNRS UMR 5297 and University of Bordeaux, F-33000, Bordeaux, France.
Nature Communications
|October 12, 2023
Summary
This study introduces a simple light microscopy technique using interstitial fluid labeling to visualize living brain tissue in real-time. This novel
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomedical Imaging
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Current neuroimaging techniques face limitations, including tissue fixation, lack of cellular resolution, or fragmented views.
- Advances in visualizing living brain tissue are crucial for neuroscience research progress.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a straightforward method for high-fidelity, real-time visualization of living brain tissue at submicron scale.
- To overcome the limitations of existing neuroanatomical imaging approaches.
Main Methods:
- Utilized regular light microscopy with fluorescence labeling of interstitial fluid in the extracellular space.
- Applied confocal, light-sheet, and 2-photon microscopy modalities.
- Tested on mouse organotypic and acute brain slices, and in vivo in intact mouse brains.
Main Results:
- Achieved comprehensive optical access to the anatomical complexity and dynamics of living brain tissue.
- Successfully visualized neurons, microglia, tumor cells, and blood capillaries in their complete anatomical contexts.
- Quantified perivascular spaces and the extracellular space volume fraction in vivo.
Conclusions:
- The 'shadow imaging' approach provides a valuable, straightforward method for real-time, submicron-scale visualization of living brain tissue.
- This technique enhances the ability to study brain anatomy and dynamics, offering new quantitative insights.
