- My current research is about brain optical imaging (in-vivo and ex-vivo). We use self-developed optical imaging equipment to detect the blood flow, blood volume, and tissue oxygen in the different cortex of the animal brain (such as PFC, SSC, VTA) after different stimuli (electric shock, drugs) and changes in intracellular calcium signals.
- In-Vivo Imaging:
- In our lab, the in-vivo experiment starts with glass implanted surgery. A piece of glass will be implanted on the head of the mouse, and a part of the brain of the head was exposed for different imaging experiments. After different stimuli, the blood flow, blood volume, and calcium signals of the animal’s brain might be changed. We will then record these changes for data analysis and determine what changes will be caused by this specific stimulation and how the cells are related to these changes.
- Ex-Vivo Imaging:
- Fluorescence imaging is the visualization of fluorescent dyes or proteins as a marker of molecular processes or structures. Fluorescence imaging allows for extensive experimental observations, including the location and dynamics of gene expression, protein expression, and molecular interactions in cells and tissues. Fluorescence imaging allows using different colors of dye to localize different proteins, or genes, which process is called fluorescent labeling. In molecular biology and biotechnology, fluorescent labels, also known as fluorescent labels or fluorescent probes, are chemically linked molecules that help detect biomolecules such as proteins, antibodies, or amino acids.
(Gu, Xiaochun et al. “Synchronized Astrocytic Ca2+ Responses in Neurovascular Coupling during Somatosensory Stimulation and for the Resting State.” Cell reports vol. 23,13 (2018): 3878-3890. doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2018.05.091)