Zebrafish brain and skull imaging based on polarization‐sensitive optical coherence tomography

Abstract

Zebrafish brain imaging is very important for the study of brain disease and regeneration. We scanned the adult zebrafish brain before and after skull removal and monitored the recovery process of a head wound by polarization‐sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS‐OCT) in this paper. We analyzed the structure and polarization characteristics of the brain and skull in PS‐OCT images, and found their internal microstructure can be clearly identified with the polarization information. Further, we estimated the pigment distribution of the skull area and found that the density of pigment in skull is a critical factor of affecting zebrafish brain in vivo polarization imaging. Our results demonstrated that more features of brain can be displayed by introducing the polarization information, and proved high‐resolution PS‐OCT will play a great potential role in studying the zebrafish brain and skull.

Information-Rich Multi-Functional OCT for Adult Zebrafish Intra- and Extracranial Imaging

“…One of the extant limitations of conventional OCT is the absence of tissue-specific contrast thereby impeding the identification of distinct tissues. In our prior investigation [19], we found that polarization contrast can help to achieve tissue-specific information. Nonetheless, the physiological structure of zebrafish is intricate and diminutive, making tissue-specific information from different organs potentially confounded.…”

“…The multi-functional OCT imaging system with an anesthesia system was described in detail in our previous study [19]. The schematic of the multi-functional OCT imaging system was described in Figure S1.…”

“…For inducing a zebrafish traumatic brain injury, we used a similar method in our previous study [19]. Adult zebrafish were anesthetized in 0.02% tricaine solution.…”

“…Our previous research has indicated that the pigmentation exhibits a strong reflection and depolarization due to multiple scattering [19]. The high-resolution multi-functional OCT system utilized in this study can produce the intensity image to represent reflection and the degree of polarization unity (DOPU) image to represent depolarization.…”

“…Polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) serve as functional extensions of OCT, offering polarization and vascular contrasts, which can moderately improve the specific imaging ability of OCT. At present, PS-OCT has been initially applied to the imaging of the zebrafish brain. Our previous study investigated the polarization characteristics of the zebrafish brain and skull using PS-OCT [19]. Moreover, Antonia Lichtenegger et al studied the polarization properties of zebrafish brain tumors [20].…”