The brain is one of the most important organs in our body, but it is functionally the least understood one. It is composed of millions of neurons, whose interconnection, i.e. connectome, determines its function. Although the interaction of neurons in vitro has been well studied in the past century, no existing tool can capture whole-brain emergent properties at single neuron or even synapse resolution. To understand functional connectome, an imaging system that can cover a whole brain in vivo with spatial resolution of micrometers (neuron) to nanometers (synapse) as well as temporal resolution in sub-seconds (calcium) to milliseconds (action potential) is highly desirable. In this invited talk, we introduce our recent efforts to improve optical microscopy in terms of speed, depth, and spatial resolution, toward the goal of understanding the brain of Drosophila, which offers a small brain with sophisticated functions and genetic control capabilities.
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