Chronic optical access through a polished and reinforced thinned skull.

Drew, Patrick J; Shih, Andy Y; Driscoll, Jonathan D; Knutsen, Per Magne; Blinder, Pablo; Davalos, Dimitrios; Akassoglou, Katerina; Tsai, Philbert S et al. · Nat Methods · 2010

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

We present a method to form an optical window in the mouse skull that spans millimeters and is stable for months without causing brain inflammation. This enabled us to repeatedly image blood flow in cortical capillaries of awake mice and determine long-range correlations in speed. We also repeatedly imaged dendritic spines, microglia and angioarchitecture, as well as used illumination to drive motor output via optogenetics and induce microstrokes via photosensitizers.

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