The professor and his research group at the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences at UiO use microscopy to look into the brains of sleeping mice. They use genetic nanosensors to map what happens in the brain during sleep.
“We believe the findings may be relevant to neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia”, he explains.
Possible to carry out many types of research
Rune Enger is an active user of KPM-UiO, which he describes as a modern animal facility that meets all standards.
“I find that they have a solution-oriented and highly competent staff. There are different zones ranging from the very clean to areas where the requirements are less strict. This makes many types of research possible”, he says.
“In addition, the newly renovated premises are pleasant to work in”.
For the researcher, KPM’s work on animal welfare is absolutely essential.
“Our mice must be trained to fall asleep on their own under the microscope. It is therefore crucial for us that the mice are doing well and are not stressed”.
Well equipped for in vivo microscopy
In Enger’s research, NORBRAIN’s national microscopy infrastructure is central. It has been funded several times by the Research Council of Norway, with applications led by Edvard Moser.
“These grants have been absolutely essential for KPM-UiO to have exceptional infrastructure for such experiments, also on an international scale”, he says.
In particular, the professor has used two-photon microscopy for detailed image acquisition in mice. This type of technology enables microscopy in intact tissues and organs in live mice with chronic windows.
“The resolution is much better than what can be achieved with other imaging techniques in whole organisms – a spatial resolution of about half a micrometre and a temporal resolution often around 30 Hz. At KPM-UiO there are a number of such microscopes with special adaptations”, the researcher says.
Wears a microscope on its head
The latest addition to the microscopy equipment is the so-called Mini2P. These are miniaturised microscopes developed in the Moser laboratory at NTNU.
“The mouse wears these on its head. With such microscopes, we can study completely natural behaviour in the mice”, Enger explains, and concludes:
“The infrastructure at KPM-UiO for in vivo microscopy is truly unique”.