Fast-scanning two-photon microscope
Working in close collaboration with Christopher Harvey, Assistant Professor of Neurobiology, the Core helped design and build a custom two-photon microscope for in vivo imaging of mouse cortex during behavioral tasks. The microscope was designed from scratch to fit around a mouse behavioral arena. It has several advanced features including a resonance galvanometer for faster imaging and an enhanced optical pathway with a relay lens system and 2" collection optics to improve resolution. The custom design provides added functionality and improved performance compared to the best commercially available systems. Moreover, the total cost of the microscope is $200,000 less than the commercial alternatives. The instrument is in the final stages of being built. When complete, it will be a fundamental tool for the lab's research program and will be used for many different studies. In particular, this instrument will be used to investigate neural circuits underlying decision-making behaviors, which should shed light on the root cause of a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders, including attention deficit disorder, autism, and schizophrenia.
Thermal stimulus delivery probe
A. Probe consists of a narrow gauge tube for saline solution surrounded by an outer water jacket for heat exchange. B. Probe delivers a laminar 160 µm stream under the microscope objective. Red dye is solely for visualization.
Researchers in the Wilson Lab enlisted the Core to build an instrument for a new research program to study thermosensitive neurons on the antenna of a fruit fly. Their experiments required delivering a thermal stimulus with unprecedented spatial and temporal precision, thus a new instrument would have to be designed. Working with the graduate student performing these experiments, the Core designed and built an instrument that delivers a thin stream of temperature-controlled saline solution to a 0.15 mm target spot on the fly. Temperature is regulated by passing the saline through a heat exchanger which can heat or cool the saline by up to 20° C within seconds. The Wilson lab has already begun using this instrument to collect data on thermosensitive neurons in the fly. To the best of our knowledge, comparable data could not have been collected using any other available instrument. These studies promise to teach us about the fundamental mechanisms of temperature sensation, which are poorly understood, but which appear to be fundamentally similar in flies and mammals. Ultimately, studies like these should further our basic understanding of the root causes of pain syndromes in human patients.