The Institute of Physical Chemistry of Japan has developed a new type of bioluminescence system that can observe the brain activity of living animals. The research team led by Atsushi Miyazaki published the results of this research in the American scientific journal Science. The new bioluminescence system is 1,400 times brighter than the previous system and can be used to analyze the structure of the brain.
The blood-brain barrier between the blood and the brain prevents foreign objects in the blood from entering the brain, making it more difficult for foreign objects to enter the brain. The team focused on studying the light-emitting structure of fireflies, the combination of fireflies and luciferase.
First, they developed an engineered enzyme that can cross the brain barrier. The virus was injected into the hippocampus and striatum of the mouse brain to produce artificial light, and artificial enzymes were placed in the mouth and abdominal cavity of the mouse. In this way, you can see the mouse glow when the brain moves, because the enzymes that pass through the brain barrier react with the light emitted by the brain. The more active the brain, the brighter the light. Compared with the traditional lighting method, the lighting method becomes brighter, and you can observe deep brain activity with less medicine.
In addition, when they tried a small marmoset, a primate that is close to humans, their brains glowed. Miyawaki said: "The new bioluminescence system has almost no stress or damage to the brain. We hope it will be verified in human health and treatment."