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About

Motivation

The human brain is an intricate network in which countless cells and their fine processes interact to generate perception, decision-making, and behavior. Understanding how these higher brain functions emerge from the coordinated activity of cells organized in networks ( e.g.neurons and astrocytes) and distributed across multiple regions remains one of the central challenges in neuroscience.

Progress in this field depends on our ability to monitor brain activity at both large scale and high spatial resolution, from networks of brain areas down to individual cells (~ 10 µm) and subcellular structures (~ 1 µm). Recent developments in two-photon random access mesoscopy (2P-RAM) have made it possible to record neuronal calcium activity over wide fields of view as large as 5×5 mm², encompassing several brain regions simultaneously.

Yet, light scattering and optical aberrations within brain tissue still degrade image quality, especially at greater depths, preventing accurate visualization of cellular and subcellular ensembles.

Objectives

The AdaM ( Adaptive Mesoscope) project aims to advance optical imaging for neuroscience by developing and implementing adaptive optics within two-photon random access mesoscopy (2P-RAM). This approach will improve image quality and depth penetration, allowing researchers to visualize brain activity with enhanced detail across multiple functional areas.

The specific objectives of the project are to:

  1. Design and integrate an adaptive optics module compatible with a commercial two-photon mesoscope, enabling correction of optical aberrations during imaging.
  2. Validate the improved imaging performance during behavioral experiments.

Through these objectives, AdaM will contribute to a deeper understanding of how distributed cellular ensembles across the brain cooperate to generate complex behaviors, while also driving technological innovation in neurophotonics.

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