双光子荧光显微镜让我们一睹未来

双光子荧光显微镜使人类离仅用思想与周围环境互动又近了一步。

Monitoring brain activity has been a core component of neuroscience since the capability first emerged. The human brain is less understood than the universe and oceans. As such, there's a massive effort to unravel the mysteries that lie within your mind. Now, researchers can delve deeper into mental activity in real time using a revolutionary two-photon fluorescence microscope method. Here's what you need to know.

自从这种能力首次出现以来，监测大脑活动一直是神经科学的核心组成部分。人类大脑比宇宙和海洋更不为人所知。因此，需要付出巨大的努力来解开你心中的谜团。现在，研究人员可以使用革命性的双光子荧光显微镜方法实时深入研究心理活动。这是您需要了解的内容。

Understanding brain activity is crucial for many industries, including treating neurological diseases like Alzheimer's. Scientists have spent considerable effort unraveling how neurons communicate and interact during thought. The goal of this research is to fully understand complex neural interactions down to cellular resolution.

了解大脑活动对于许多行业至关重要，包括治疗阿尔茨海默氏症等神经系统疾病。科学家们花费了大量精力来揭示神经元在思维过程中如何沟通和相互作用。这项研究的目标是充分理解复杂的神经相互作用直至细胞分辨率。

Researchers hope to use this data to shed light on fundamental brain functions which could one day lead to improved learning, memory, decision-making, and health care. To accomplish this task they created an advanced two-photon imaging tool capable of tracking dynamic neural processes in real-time, enabling a deeper insight into the brain during learning, activities, and disease states.

研究人员希望利用这些数据来揭示大脑的基本功能，有一天可能会改善学习、记忆、决策和医疗保健。为了完成这项任务，他们创建了一种先进的双光子成像工具，能够实时跟踪动态神经过程，从而能够更深入地了解学习、活动和疾病状态期间的大脑。

Current Methods of Registering Brain Activity

当前记录大脑活动的方法

There are several methods of registering brain activity in use today. These approaches have helped the industry develop to this date. However, they do have some significant drawbacks including that they take more time to monitor activity, can be harmful to the patient, and are cost-prohibitive. The two most common methods in use today include Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and Electroencephalography (EEG).

目前有多种记录大脑活动的方法。这些方法帮助该行业发展至今。然而，它们确实有一些显着的缺点，包括需要更多时间来监测活动、可能对患者有害，并且成本高昂。目前最常用的两种方法包括功能磁共振成像 (fMRI) 和脑电图 (EEG)。

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

功能磁共振成像 (fMRI)

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging is one of the most advanced methods used to monitor brain waves today. This non-invasive procedure integrates magnetic fields and radio waves to create a 3D image of your brain's electromagnetic pulses. This strategy marked a major improvement over previous options as it allowed researchers to zoom in on a particular set of neurons, improving their overall understanding of brain activity greatly.

功能磁共振成像是当今用于监测脑电波的最先进方法之一。这种非侵入性手术将磁场和无线电波结合起来，创建大脑电磁脉冲的 3D 图像。这一策略标志着对之前选项的重大改进，因为它允许研究人员放大特定的一组神经元，从而大大提高他们对大脑活动的整体理解。

Electroencephalography (EEG)

脑电图（EEG）

Another method that you may have seen in movies is Electroencephalography. This approach measures your brain's electrical activity. Patients need to place special sensors on their scalp that are sensitive to electrical currents. This method of tracking brain waves has been used since 1975 when Richard Caton first used it to track the electrical pulses found in rabbits' and monkeys' brains with success.

您可能在电影中看到的另一种方法是脑电图检查。这种方法可以测量大脑的电活动。患者需要在头皮上放置对电流敏感的特殊传感器。这种追踪脑电波的方法自 1975 年起就一直被使用，当时理查德·卡顿 (Richard Caton) 首次使用它来追踪兔子和猴子大脑中发现的电脉冲，并取得了成功。

Since then, this method of registering brain activity has improved significantly. In the 1950s, the first modern iteration of the EEG was introduced. It served faithfully as the primary method of tracking brain waves into the 1980s. In 1988, it was used to enable a person, to control a robot and is still used by many researchers.

从那时起，这种记录大脑活动的方法得到了显着改进。 20 世纪 50 年代，首次现代版脑电图问世。直到 20 世纪 80 年代，它一直是追踪脑电波的主要方法。 1988 年，它被用来使人能够控制机器人，至今仍被许多研究人员使用。

Study

学习

The study “High-speed two-photon microscopy with adaptive line-excitation” was published in Optica revealing how two-photon microscopy can provide unmatched high-speed images of neural activity. These photos were made at a cellular resolution using a purpose-built two-photon fluorescence microscope.

这项研究“具有自适应线激发的高速双光子显微镜”发表在 Optica 上，揭示了双光子显微镜如何提供无与伦比的神经活动高速图像。这些照片是使用特制的双光子荧光显微镜以细胞分辨率拍摄的。

Two-Photon Fluorescence Microscope

双光子荧光显微镜

The Two-Photon fluorescence microscope is capable of providing vibrant images deep into brain tissue. To accomplish this task, the mechanism introduces an adaptive sampling structure. This structure would be repeated throughout the experiment to create dynamic 3d images and maps of brain activity.

双光子荧光显微镜能够提供深入脑组织的生动图像。为了完成此任务，该机制引入了自适应采样结构。这种结构将在整个实验过程中重复，以创建动态 3D 图像和大脑活动图。

Adaptive Sampling Strategy

自适应采样策略

At the core of the study is the introduction of the adaptive sampling strategy. This method replaces traditional point illumination techniques. Instead, a more effective line illumination strategy is employed alongside an updated point scanning method that provides far more detail and monitoring capabilities compared to past methods.

该研究的核心是引入自适应采样策略。该方法取代了传统的点照明技术。相反，采用了更有效的线照明策略以及更新的点扫描方法，与过去的方法相比，该方法提供了更多的细节和监控功能。

Point Scanning

点扫描

Point scanning in old methods left much to be desired. For one, it was extremely specific which would often lead to the inability to track an entire neuron sequence across the brain. The new point scanning method uses an altered line illumination strategy to imitate high-resolution point scanning methods. This strategy is crucial in identifying what areas of the brain need to move on to the next step of the process, line scanning.

旧方法中的点扫描还有很多不足之处。其一，它非常具体，通常会导致无法跟踪大脑中的整个神经元序列。新的点扫描方法使用改变的线照明策略来模仿高分辨率点扫描方法。这种策略对于确定大脑的哪些区域需要进入该过程的下一步（线扫描）至关重要。

Line Illumination

线条照明

Line illumination is a breakthrough for neurology engineers. The method projects a small line of light across a sampled area. This approach excites fluorescence, which makes it easier to track neurological signals across the brain from start to finish. Additionally, this approach allows a much larger area of the brain to be excited, scanned, and mapped in real-time.

线照明是神经学工程师的一项突破。该方法在采样区域投射一条细线。这种方法会激发荧光，从而更容易从头到尾追踪整个大脑的神经信号。此外，这种方法可以实时激发、扫描和绘制更大的大脑区域。

Two-Photon Microscope Testing

双光子显微镜测试

The testing phase of the two-photon fluorescence microscope involved two lab mice, in which researchers were able to track neuronal activity in a mouse cortex in real time. Notably, the unit can capture image signals up to 198 Hz currently. In this test, the engineers tracked calcium signals which can signal recent neural activity.

双光子荧光显微镜的测试阶段涉及两只实验室小鼠，研究人员能够实时跟踪小鼠皮层中的神经元活动。值得注意的是，该装置目前可以捕获高达 198 Hz 的图像信号。在这项测试中，工程师追踪了可以发出近期神经活动信号的钙信号。

Digital Micromirror Device (DMD)

数字微镜器件 (DMD)

To accomplish this task, a specially configured laser beam pattern is formed using a digital micromirror device (DMD). This unit contains thousands of microscopic mirrors. Each of these mirrors has individual controls that allow them to shape and target light at precise parts of the brain. Additionally, the mirrors can be set up to activate

为了完成此任务，使用数字微镜器件 (DMD) 形成特殊配置的激光束图案。该装置包含数千个微型镜子。每面镜子都有单独的控制装置，使它们能够塑造光线并将其瞄准大脑的精确部位。此外，镜子可以设置为激活