Mapping the transparent brain with iDISCO+, ClearMap, and light sheet imaging

DATE:  July 21, 2020

TIME:   8:00am PDT, 11:00am EDT, 5:00pm CEST

The adult brain is composed of densely interwoven neuronal and vascular networks that are essential for proper function. Understanding the structural organization and dynamic changes of these networks is highly challenging  because of their complex 3D topology. Dr. Nicolas Renier and his colleagues developed the iDISCO+ and ClearMap technologies to facilitate the study of the structure and cellular networks in the intact adult brain with automated quantitative methods. Together with light sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM), these technologies enable whole brain 3D imaging and detailed quantitative mapping. iDISCO+ is a complete sample preparation method that enables whole-mount immunolabeling and high-performance optical clearing of adult brain or any other organ. ClearMap is an open-source software program for the unsupervised mapping of neuronal activity, neuronal projections, and the vascular networks of the brain. These technologies form a pipeline for high-speed acquisition of brain structure and activity at cellular resolution. The workflow consists of sample preparation with immunostaining and tissue clearing, then imaging the whole brain with LSFM for expression profiling, and finally automated mapping and analysis. Dr. Renier will present an overview of these tools and discuss how his team is using them to characterize the plasticity of adult brain networks. 

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how to visualize the whole brain in 3D.
• Discover tools that enable detailed quantitative mapping of complex 3D networks in the brain.
• Understand the structural organization and dynamic changes of neuronal and vascular networks.

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