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Protocol for a saline-free surgical preparation of adult Drosophila for chronic in vivo brain imaging.

Overview

Authors: Ruibao Zhu1, Salah Khorbtli1, Jingmin Zhang1, Zhuchen Fu1, Cheng Huang1
ORCID iDs: Salah Khorbtli, Jingmin Zhang, Cheng Huang
  1. Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
Institutions: Washington University in St. Louis (United States)
Journal: STAR protocols, volume 7, issue 2, article 104550
Dates: published online 7 May 2026; in print June 2026
Type: Research article · Language: English
License: CC BY
Identifiers: DOI 10.1016/j.xpro.2026.104550 · PMID 42101939 · PMCID PMC13186001 · OpenAlex W7160507052
Open access: gold, a free copy (OpenAlex)
Status: code verified
Categories: histology / microscopy (modality), drosophila (organism), clinical / translational (subfield)
Methods: fMRI & imaging, Single-unit activity, calcium imaging
Keywords: Microscopy, Model Organisms, Neuroscience
MeSH: Brain*, Drosophila*, Neuroimaging*, Animals, Neurons (* major topic)
Topic: Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research (Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Neuroscience), according to OpenAlex
Funding: Whitehall Research (no. 2024-12-093); Neurotech Hub at Washington University
Citations: cited by 1 paper (Europe PMC); 13 references in the paper

Abstract

Longitudinal brain imaging is essential for understanding neural mechanisms. Here, we present a saline-free, chronic preparation for repeated neural recording in adult Drosophila over multiple days. We describe steps for mounting flies, performing manual surgery on the head cuticle without external saline, and resealing the opening to create a transparent optical window. We demonstrate the utility of this approach by tracking single-neuron spiking and neuronal calcium dynamics over 7–10 days. This protocol is potentially applicable to other insect species.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

Code

No file of the authors' code could be read here: it is described below, and read at its source.

Zenodo 18675613

License: CC-BY-4.0
State: the link answers, verified on 28 September 2026
Evidence: files inventoried
Size: 2 files
Software Heritage: not checked
Found in: “Data and code availability”
Not found: README, license file, CITATION.cff, environment file, tests, continuous integration, documentation
Availability: 1 check, the latest on 28 September 2026: the link answers (HTTP 200)
  • 28 September 2026: the link answers (HTTP 200)
At the source: doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18675613

The paper's code and data availability statement is in the Data section.

Tracing map

Proposed by the machine: these links were found in the paper and verified at the source, without human review. The map will receive a Zenodo DOI once one of the paper's authors has validated it with their ORCID.

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  • 1 repository of the authors' code, each at its verified commit, with its license and how the link was found in the paper;
  • 0 scripts, each with its path and the digest of its content;
  • no match between paragraphs and code yet;
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Its JSON (tracing-map.json) is deposited on Zenodo with its DOI once the map is validated.

Data

Datasets cited

Data and code availability

The imaging datasets and codes have been deposited to Zenoto (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18675613).

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.

Versions

The history of this record: each version stored by the harvester or made by a correction of its authors or of the maintainers of its code, and what changed in its facts. The texts of the paper (its abstract, its availability statements) are not part of it; versions that changed only those are not listed.

Version 1, 28 September 2026: the first record

Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 5 authors, 3 keywords, 5 MeSH terms, 2 funders, 13 references.

Cite

This paper

Zhu, R., Khorbtli, S., Zhang, J., Fu, Z., & Huang, C. (2026). Protocol for a saline-free surgical preparation of adult Drosophila for chronic in vivo brain imaging. STAR protocols, 7(2), 104550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xpro.2026.104550

BibTeX

@article{zhu2026protocol,
author = {Zhu, Ruibao and Khorbtli, Salah and Zhang, Jingmin and Fu, Zhuchen and Huang, Cheng},
title = {{Protocol for a saline-free surgical preparation of adult Drosophila for chronic in vivo brain imaging}},
journal = {STAR protocols},
year = {2026},
month = may,
volume = {7},
number = {2},
pages = {104550},
publisher = {Elsevier},
issn = {2666-1667},
doi = {10.1016/j.xpro.2026.104550},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xpro.2026.104550},
pmid = {42101939},
pmcid = {PMC13186001}
}

RIS

TY - JOUR
AU - Zhu, Ruibao
AU - Khorbtli, Salah
AU - Zhang, Jingmin
AU - Fu, Zhuchen
AU - Huang, Cheng
TI - Protocol for a saline-free surgical preparation of adult Drosophila for chronic in vivo brain imaging
T2 - STAR protocols
J2 - STAR Protoc
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/05/07
VL - 7
IS - 2
SP - 104550
SN - 2666-1667
PB - Elsevier
DO - 10.1016/j.xpro.2026.104550
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xpro.2026.104550
LA - en
ER -

CSL-JSON

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