CFI funds next-gen 4D imaging system to study brain in real-time

UVic neuroscientists Dr. Craig Brown (Division of Medical Sciences), Dr. Marie-Ève Tremblay (Division of Medical Sciences) and Dr. Gautam Awatramani (Biology) will use a $330,000 grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) to purchase a next-generation 4D imaging system. 

Four-dimensional (4D) imaging is like 3D except that the images are continuously updated instead of being static, which allows researchers to see brain cells function or brain structures working and changing in near real-time.

“This new microscope will help UVic researchers unravel mysteries of brain function in health and disease,” says Brown.

Brown and other researchers plan to use this new equipment to study brain activity in regions that control vision, touch, addiction and other cognitive behaviours. They will also use it to understand what causes the brain to change when we age, suffer a stroke or have disorders like Rett Syndrome, depression, schizophrenia and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

The knowledge gained from this research could lead to new intelligent treatments for the neurological dysfunction associated with aging, dementia, vision disorders, addiction and brain injury.

This is one of eight CFI JELF grants received by University of Victoria researchers. You can learn more about those other projects here.