Researchers at the University of Georgia have developed a new high-resolution light-sheet imaging system capable of documenting seizures in three dimensions in real time. Because a seizure is an overwhelming wave of electrical energy passing through the brain in a matter of seconds, fully capturing where electrical bursts originate, how they travel, and where they stop has historically been nearly impossible using traditional methods.
University of Georgia Researchers Develop Breakthrough 3D Imaging System
The study was published in News Medical, a publication from the Optica Publishing Group, and was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Observing Seizure Propagation in Zebrafish Larvae
Using zebrafish larvae—which serve as a standard animal model for neuroscience research—the research team successfully captured images of a seizure moving entirely through the brain. The resulting visual data reveal that the seizure originated toward the back of the brain and traveled forward to the optic tecta, a region in the midbrain responsible for processing visual information, managing responses to what the animal sees, and controlling eye movement. The electrical activity then gradually subsided over several seconds.
This work marks one of the first times researchers have provided a comprehensive, high-resolution 3D video of a seizure event from start to finish.
The brain is obviously three dimensional, so when you have 2D imaging, not everything is going to be visible on that single 2D plane,
said Peter Kner, a professor in UGA’s College of Engineering and the corresponding author of the study. Seeing where something is going or where something happens, if you're looking at a 2D plane, you start to wonder, 'Did I actually capture the whole thing?'
Overcoming Optical Distortion with Adaptive Optics
The newly developed microscope relies on two core mechanisms: light-sheet microscopy and adaptive optics. Light-sheet microscopy utilizes a thin sheet of light to illuminate a single slice of a sample at a time. This approach operates effectively on living organisms by delivering clear images at high speeds with low background interference, allowing for the rapid tracking of complex biological processes like brain activity.
To combat image distortion caused by biological tissues—where light passing through tissue gets bent and creates blurred images—the system incorporates adaptive optics, a technology originally pioneered for astronomy to counteract atmospheric interference that causes stars to appear to twinkle.
You always want the sharpest image you can get,
Kner noted. The whole field of imaging is really exciting right now. Microscopes have been around since roughly 1650, so you think what could possibly be new? But there are a lot of places left for the field to go.
Potential Implications for Brain Diseases and Disorders
Analyzing these detailed images in three dimensions offers fresh insights into seizure formation and propagation. Seizure propagation refers to the process by which electrical activity initiates in a specific part of the brain and moves outward into other regions.
Gaining a clearer picture of how seizure activity propagates helps researchers better understand overall brain function. According to the study’s leadership, an improved understanding of brain operations could eventually inform the development of new treatments for various brain diseases and disorders.
In addition to Kner, the study was co-authored by Bingxi Liu and Yang Liu, both of whom earned doctorates in electrical and computer engineering from UGA; Carly Duffy, who received a doctorate from the university’s department of cellular biology; and James Lauderdale, professor and department head of cellular biology.
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