In vivo imaging of hippocampal trisynaptic circuits in mice

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K13109
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Basic / Social brain science
• Research Institution: Institute of Physical and Chemical Research
• Principal Investigator: Sato Masaaaki 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, 脳科学総合研究センター, 客員研究員 (90518325)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 脳イメージング / 二光子レーザー顕微鏡

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The trisynaptic circuit of the hippocampus consists of dentate gyrus, CA3 subregion and CA1 subregion, each of which has different anatomical and functional characteristics. However, it is technically more challenging to image hippocampal areas deeper than CA1 in living animals, hampering the understanding of the operation of this circuit in vivo. This study aimed to develop a new method for imaging neuronal circuit activity of CA1, CA3 and DG in living animals. To this end, we employed multiple approaches, including the use of microprisms,　hippocampal windows for direct imaging, and combination of a gradient refractive index lens and an electrically tunable lens.

Free Research Field

神経科学