Allen Distinguished Microscopy Seminar

New imaging technology for watching the brain in action at cellular resolution.

Spencer Smith, Ph.D, Assistant Professor
Neuroscience Center, UNC Chapel Hill

Sponsored By:

ORIED, CALS, COS, CVM, COE and Eastman Chemical University Engagement Fund

Abstract: Microscopy can capture biological dynamics at high resolution, but only over a restricted field of view. This limitation is particularly crippling for neuroscience. The restricted field of view prevents the imaging of interactions between neurons in different brain regions. To reveal these dynamics, my lab is developing new multiphoton imaging systems. These systems resolve 50-100 fold more data per field of view than conventional microscopes, and use multiplexed imaging beams to simultaneously sample neurons in different parts of the brain. With this new technology, we are mapping neuronal dynamics at ever growing scales, and learning how the different regions of the brain work together to encode stimuli and drive behavior.