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Hardware

We are routinely using two advanced multi-photon microscopes recently developed in our labs. They leverage the superior optical sectioning capabilities of multi-photon excitation to image sub-micrometer compartments in living cells (i.e. neurons in acute slices) such as dendrites and dendritic spines. The techniques we developed for temporal and spectral pulse shaping allow us to image dendrites and spines at low intensity levels with UV and visible wavelength excitable dyes. The random-access beam steering design, based on acousto-optic deflectors (see inset), is capable of positioning a multi-photon laser beam rapidly (sub-microsecond) enough to measure the fast (millisecond) transient responses of single neurons. We can easily monitor calcium transients in individual dendritic spines at different axial planes as well as optically deliver synaptic stimulation to single, visually identified spines.