Wei Chen

Abstract: Volumetric imaging of synaptic transmission and microcirculations in the brain in vivo requires high spatial and high temporal resolution. Shaping the wavefront of two-photon fluorescence excitation light, we developed Bessel-droplet foci for high-contrast and high-resolution volumetric imaging of synapses. Applying our method to imaging glutamate release, we demonstrated high-throughput mapping of excitatory inputs at > 1,000 synapses per volume and > 500 dendritic spines per neuron in vivo and unveiled novel features of functional synaptic organization in the mouse primary visual cortex. We also achieved high-resolution volumetric imaging of lymphatic microcirculations in mouse brain in vivo.

Speaker: Wei Chen is a Professor at Huazhong University of Science and Technology and a core member of the Advanced Biomedical Imaging Facility. His research focuses on the development of high-performance optical imaging technologies for neuroscience, with particular emphasis on in vivo, high-resolution, and high-sensitivity imaging of brain structure and function at subcellular details. Prof. Chen’s work integrates optical engineering, computational imaging, and machine learning to overcome key challenges in deep-tissue imaging, such as optical aberration and low signal-to-noise ratio. Prof. Chen has published over 40 peer-reviewed papers in leading journals such as Nature Methods, Nature Neuroscience, Nature Communications, and Cell Metabolism, and has served as a reviewer for top-tier journals including Nature Photonics, Nature Communications, and Optica. He is a recipient of the National Natural Science Foundation of China Excellent Young Scientists Fund. His research aims to advance next-generation neuroimaging tools for uncovering the spatiotemporal organization of neural circuits and their roles in brain function and behavior.