In vivo wide-field calcium imaging of mouse thalamocortical synapses with an 8 K ultra-high-definition camera

Sci Rep. 2018 May 29;8(1):8324. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-26566-3.

Abstract

In vivo wide-field imaging of neural activity with a high spatio-temporal resolution is a challenge in modern neuroscience. Although two-photon imaging is very powerful, high-speed imaging of the activity of individual synapses is mostly limited to a field of approximately 200 µm on a side. Wide-field one-photon epifluorescence imaging can reveal neuronal activity over a field of ≥1 mm2 at a high speed, but is not able to resolve a single synapse. Here, to achieve a high spatio-temporal resolution, we combine an 8 K ultra-high-definition camera with spinning-disk one-photon confocal microscopy. This combination allowed us to image a 1 mm2 field with a pixel resolution of 0.21 µm at 60 fps. When we imaged motor cortical layer 1 in a behaving head-restrained mouse, calcium transients were detected in presynaptic boutons of thalamocortical axons sparsely labeled with GCaMP6s, although their density was lower than when two-photon imaging was used. The effects of out-of-focus fluorescence changes on calcium transients in individual boutons appeared minimal. Axonal boutons with highly correlated activity were detected over the 1 mm2 field, and were probably distributed on multiple axonal arbors originating from the same thalamic neuron. This new microscopy with an 8 K ultra-high-definition camera should serve to clarify the activity and plasticity of widely distributed cortical synapses.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Action Potentials / physiology
  • Animals
  • Axons / physiology
  • Calcium / metabolism*
  • Calcium / pharmacology
  • Mice
  • Microscopy, Confocal / instrumentation
  • Microscopy, Confocal / methods*
  • Motor Cortex / diagnostic imaging*
  • Motor Cortex / metabolism
  • Neural Pathways / physiology
  • Neurogenesis / physiology
  • Neurons / physiology
  • Presynaptic Terminals / physiology
  • Synapses / physiology
  • Thalamus / diagnostic imaging
  • Thalamus / metabolism

Substances

  • Calcium