Akemann, W. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2026

Temporal Focusing for Enhanced Background Rejection in AOD-Based Two-Photon Serial Holography

The ability to record 3D neuronal activity with cellular resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and millisecond temporal resolution is a major challenge in neuroscience. One powerful method is random-access two-photon microscopy based on acousto-optic deflectors (AODs), which uses a holographically-shaped point spread function (PSF) scanned in 3D to maximize the sampling rate and SNR. However, this approach suffers from greater background contamination due to the holographically shaped PSF than standard two-photon microscopy with diffraction-limited PSF. To overcome this limitation, we implemented a new version of an AOD scanning system, which integrates temporal focusing. The complex spatiotemporal distortions encountered in this configuration, including a significant group delay dispersion associated with the pulse front tilt generated by the AOD, were compensated for by introducing an acousto-optic modulator before the AOD. We designed extended patterns by combining temporal focusing on one direction and holographic wavefront shaping in the perpendicular axis. Taking advantage of the AODs ability to shape the wavefront at the same speed as the scan, we were able to accurately superimpose the spatial and temporal foci over the entire field of view. Finally, we generated complex, extended two-photon excitation patterns by combining temporal focusing in one direction and holographic multiplexing in the perpendicular direction. These patterns provide significantly improved background rejection compared to 2D holographic patterns, thus offering promising prospects for in vivo recordings of neuronal activity in dense samples with improved SNR.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2021

Fast wavefront shaping for two-photon brain imaging with large field of view correction

Introduction paragraphIn-vivo optical imaging with diffraction-limited resolution deep inside scattering biological tissues is obtained by non-linear fluorescence microscopy1. Active compensation of tissue-induced aberrations and light scattering through adaptive wavefront correction2,3 further extends depth penetration by restoring high resolution at large depth. However, at large depths those corrections are only valid over a very limited field of view within the angular memory effect4. To overcome this limitation, we introduce an acousto-optic light modulation technique for fluorescence imaging with simultaneous wavefront correction at pixel scan speed. Biaxial wavefront corrections are first learned by adaptive optimization at multiple locations in the image field. During image acquisition, the learned corrections are then switched on-the-fly according to the position of the excitation focus during the raster scan. The proposed microscope is applied to in-vivo transcranial neuron imaging and demonstrates correction of skull-induced aberrations and scattering across large fields of view at 40 kHz data acquisition speed.

neuroscience↗