Dresden 2014 – scientific programme

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DY: Fachverband Dynamik und Statistische Physik

DY 9: Focus Session: Dynamical Patterns in Neural Systems: From Brain Function to Dysfunction (joint session DY/ BP)

DY 9.3: Invited Talk

Tuesday, April 1, 2014, 10:30–11:00, HÜL 186

Towards a dynamic map of neuronal circuits — •Alipasha Vaziri — Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), — Center for Molecular Biology, University of Vienna — Research Platform for Quantum Phenomena and Nanoscale Biological Systems, University of Vienna

Knowledge on structural connectivity in neuronal circuits is necessary for understanding information representation and processing in local circuits. Addressing this challenge has been hampered by lack of appropriate tools and methods that allow parallel and spatiotemporally specific application of excitation patterns onto neuronal populations while capturing the dynamic activity of the entire network at high spatial and temporal resolution. The combination of new optical excitation techniques, optogenetics and high speed functional imaging are providing new opportunities to address this question and move towards a dynamic map of neuronal circuits. Compared to standard two-photon microscopy exploiting the spectral properties of femtosecod lasers provide an additional degree of freedom whereby alternative spatial light distributions can be "sculpted" in a biological sample. We have developed such a two-photon technique for brain-wide calcium imaging in C. elegans. The combination of this microscope with a nuclear-localized, genetically encoded calcium indicator, NLS-GCaMP5K, has allowed us to capture the activity of individual neurons within the densely packed head ganglia of C. elegans. We demonstrate near-simultaneous recording of activity of up to 70% of all head neurons.