In-vivo two-photon imaging of the honey bee antennal lobe

TL;DR

This study demonstrates the use of two-photon microscopy for in-vivo functional and morphological imaging of the honey bee's antennal lobes, providing enhanced resolution and deeper tissue imaging compared to traditional methods.

Contribution

Introduces a two-photon imaging platform for honey bee olfactory system, enabling high-resolution, minimally invasive functional and structural imaging in vivo.

Findings

Enhanced spatial and temporal resolution over conventional microscopy

Four-fold increase in functional signal quality

Successful imaging within deep glomeruli of the antennal lobes

Abstract

Due to the honey bee's importance as a simple neural model, there is a great need for new functional imaging modalities. Herein we report on the use of two-photon microscopy for in-vivo functional and morphological imaging of the honey bee's olfactory system focusing on its primary centers, the antennal lobes (ALs). Our imaging platform allows for simultaneously obtaining both morphological measurements of the AL and in-vivo calcium recording of neural activities. By applying external odor stimuli to the bee's antennas, we were able to record the characteristic odor response maps. Compared to previous works where conventional fluorescence microscopy is used, our approach offers all the typical advantages of multi-photon imaging, providing substantial enhancement in both spatial and temporal resolutions while minimizing photo-damages and autofluorescence contribution with a four-fold improvement in the functional signal. Moreover, the multi-photon associated extended penetration depth allows for functional imaging within profound glomeruli.