Digital image registration reveals signal improvements in voltage-sensitive dye imaging of in vivo rat brain

Abstract

Voltage-sensitive dye imaging (VSDi) is an accurate imaging method that use small intensity changes of fluorescent dyes emission to capture the brain activity. In this technique, little artifacts can produce large signals interfering with the main signals and reducing the validity of the experiment. In this study, we studied the effect of two image registration methods to rectify VSDi noises due to the movements of anesthetized rat brain in vivo. The first method is image registration on the basis of image intensity and the second method is applied in steerable pyramid domain and reduces movements by zeroing out phase shifts. The resulting images bring more distinct brain signals in response to a whisker stimulation.