in vivo super-resolution imaging by utilizing novel laser technologies

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26242082
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Basic / Social brain science
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: Nemoto Tomomi 北海道大学, 電子科学研究所, 教授 (50291084)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 佐藤 俊一 東北大学, 多元物質科学研究所, 教授 (30162431) ; 川上 良介 北海道大学, 電子科学研究所, 助教 (40508818) ; 大友 康平 北海道大学, 電子科学研究所, 特任助教 (40547204) ; 日比 輝正 北海道大学, 電子科学研究所, 特任講師 (50554292)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: ２光子顕微鏡 / 超短光パルスレーザー / ベクトルビーム / バイオイメージング / 神経科学 / スパイン / 超解像 / 光操作

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We successfully generated vector beams, optical vortex by using liquid crystal devices and developed a super-resolution microscope, two-photon STED microscope. In addition, we developed an excitation wavelength unmixing method useful for multicolor staining specimens. For in vivo imaging of living mouse brains, adaptive optics improved spatial resolutions and enabled laser ablation of neural fibers. In the case of depression model mice, a super-resolution microscopy could demonstrate quite finer morphological changes of dendritic spines that had not detected by conventional confocal microscopy. Moreover, numerical analyses on super-resolution effects showed that microscopy using vector beams can observe finer structure in specimens clearly, suggesting a superiority of vector beams.

Free Research Field

生物物理学