Wide-field fluorescence lifetime imaging of neuron spiking and sub-threshold activity in vivo
arXiv:2211.11229 · doi:10.1126/science.adf9725
Abstract
The development of voltage-sensitive fluorescent probes suggests fluorescence lifetime as a promising readout for electrical activity in biological systems. Existing approaches fail to achieve the speed and sensitivity required for voltage imaging in neuroscience applications. Here we demonstrate that wide-field electro-optic fluorescence lifetime imaging (EO-FLIM) allows lifetime imaging at kHz frame acquisition rates, spatially resolving action potential propagation and sub-threshold neural activity in live adult Drosophila. Lifetime resolutions of ps at 1 kHz were achieved for single cell voltage recordings. Lifetime readout is limited by photon shot noise and the method provides strong rejection of motion artifacts and technical noise sources. Recordings revealed local transmembrane depolarizations, two types of spikes with distinct fluorescence lifetimes, and phase locking of spikes to an external mechanical stimulus.
This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of the AAAS for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Science on 22 Jun 2023, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adf9725