Optical imaging of neural activity: from neuron to brain

Abstract

This paper introduces the optical imaging approaches at three levels in cognitive neuroscience in the Key Laboratory of Biomedical Photonics of Ministry of Education of China. In molecular and cellular level, the advances in microscopy, molecular optical marker, and sample preparations have made possible studies that characterize the form and function of neurons in unprecedented detail. The development of two-photon excitation has enabled fluorescent imaging of small structures in the midst of highly scattering media with little photodamage. The combination of MPE and multi-electrode array provides a powerful approach for neuronal networks imaging. Intrinsic signal imaging (ISI) and laser speckle imaging (LSI) are effective approaches for intrinsic signal imaging at a given cortical site. No alternative imaging technique for the visualization of functional organization in the living brain provides a comparable spatial resolution. It is this level of resolution that reveals where processing is performed - a necessary step for the understanding of the neural code at the population level. Completely noninvasive optical imaging through the intact human skull, such as functional near infrared imaging may provide an imaging tool offering both the spatial and the temporal resolutions required to expand our knowledge of the principles underlying the remarkable performance of the human cerebral cortex.