In vivo two-photon calcium imaging in the visual system

Two-photon imaging of calcium-sensitive dyes in vivo has become a common tool used by neuroscientists, largely because of the development of bolus loading techniques, which can label every neuron in a local circuit with calcium-sensitive dye. Like multielectrode recordings, two-photon imaging paired with bolus loading provides a method for monitoring many neurons at once, but, in addition, it provides a means for determining the precise location of every neuron. Thus, it is an ideal method for studying the fine-scale functional architecture of the cortex and guiding the experimenter to individual neurons that can be targeted for further anatomical study. Two-photon calcium imaging enables study of the fine structure of functional maps in the visual cortex in cats and rodents. In mice, it can allow the characterization of specific cell types when paired with transgenic or retrograde labeling.