Two Photon Laser Scanning Microscope for chronic in-vivo experiments

• Subject Area: Neurosciences
• Term: Funded in 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 508412872

The here requested 2photon laser scanning microscope for chronic in-vivo imaging in active mice shall enable Dr. Anna-Sophia Wahl – as part of her appointment as associate professor for neuroanatomy at LMU Munich – to continue her research, which she has started with her group at the University of Zurich. The microscope shall in particularly be used to uncover fundamental principles of neuronal repair mechanisms after brain injury. The group uses 2photon calcium imaging in mice during sophisticated behavioral assessments as a central method to unveil the fate of individual neurons encoding specific sensorimotor and memory functions in the healthy and pathological condition within the same animal. The goal is to understand and characterize how surviving neurons are recruited to participate in repair processes. Furthermore, by distinct stimulation of surviving neurons using optical manipulation plastic rewiring shall be enhanced to restore lost or impaired function after brain injury. The same experimental set-up in combination with deep learning algorithms and chemogenetics will be also applied for other neurological and psychiatric disease models in collaboration with the Molecular and Behavioral Neurobiology Unit of the Department of Psychiatry. The here proposed instrument is unique in its configuration and will be a key instrument to install state-of the art imaging resources for chronic in-vivo imaging at the Campus Innenstadt of LMU Munich, which is currently not available there and will be essential to strengthen basic neuroscience groups at Campus Innenstadt, in particular at the Department of Anatomy and Psychiatry. Furthermore, the microscope shall be used for collaborations and training of students and postdocs within the Excellence Custer “SyNergy” at LMU Munich.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Zweiphotonen-Laserscanning-Mikroskop für chronische Experimente in vivo
• Instrumentation Group: 5090 Spezialmikroskope
• Applicant Institution: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
• Leader: Professorin Anna-Sophia Wahl, Ph.D.