Ex Vivo Brain Imaging in Drosophila
- Tamara Boto1,2 and
- Seth M. Tomchik3,4,5,6
- 1Department of Physiology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
- 2Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
- 3Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
- 4Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
- 5Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
- ↵6Correspondence: seth-tomchik{at}uiowa.edu
Abstract
Analysis of neuronal circuit function in Drosophila can be facilitated with an ex vivo imaging preparation. In this approach, the brain is isolated but intact, preserving neuronal connectivity and function. The preparation has several advantages, including stability, accessibility for pharmacological manipulations, and the ability to image over several hours. The full range of genetic approaches available in Drosophila can be readily combined with pharmacological manipulations in this preparation, and numerous genetically encoded reporters are available to image cellular events, ranging from Ca2+ signaling to neurotransmitter release.
Footnotes
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From the Drosophila Neurobiology collection, edited by Bing Zhang, Ellie Heckscher, Alex C. Keene, and Scott Waddell.
