Two-photon imaging to a depth of 1000 μm in living brains by use of a Ti:Al2O3 regenerative amplifier

It is shown that two-photon fluorescence images can be obtained throughout almost the entire gray matter of the mouse neocortex by using optically amplified femtosecond pulses. The achieved imaging depth approaches the theoretical limit set by excitation of out-of-focus fluorescence. (C) 2003 Optical Society of America.