Fast 3D imaging reveals how seizures move through the brain
A high-speed, 3D light-sheet microscope allows researchers to record seizure dynamics in larval zebrafish The post Fast 3D imaging reveals how seizures move through the brain appeared first on Physics World .
Neuroscientists are still unsure whether seizures in the brain spread in a forward direction or backward. This uncertainty could hinder our understanding of epilepsy, but a recent breakthrough in microscopy techniques promises to shed light on the matter. At the University of Georgia, engineering professor Peter Kner and his team have developed a cutting-edge light-sheet microscope capable of performing fast 3D imaging of zebrafish seizures.
The results, published in Biomedical Optics Express, reveal that seizures begin in the hindbrain and move forward (anteriorly), contradicting earlier findings from 2D imaging studies that suggested the opposite direction. Kner emphasizes that these discrepancies highlight the need for further imaging studies to better understand the probabilistic nature of seizures and the factors that influence their direction.
The key to their success was the development of a light-sheet microscope, which uses a thin sheet of light to illuminate a single 2D plane of the sample while minimizing background noise. By dynamically sweeping the light sheet through different planes and synchronously adjusting the focal plane using an electrically tunable lens, the researchers achieved fast, wide-field-of-view imaging in all three dimensions.
This technique allowed them to image zebrafish seizure propagation in real-time, observing the seizures originating in the hindbrain and propagating forward. The findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge on seizure propagation, potentially aiding future epilepsy treatments.
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