A Programmable Optical Stimulator for the Drosophila Eye.

ABSTRACT: A programmable optical stimulator for Drosophila eyes is presented. The target application of the stimulator is to induce retinal degeneration in fly photoreceptor cells by exposing them to light in a controlled manner. The goal of this work is to obtain a reproducible system for studying age-related changes in susceptibility to environmental ocular stress. The stimulator uses light emitting diodes and an embedded computer to control illuminance, color (blue or red) and duration in two independent chambers. Further, the stimulator is equipped with per-chamber light and temperature sensors and a fan to monitor light intensity and to control temperature. An ON/OFF temperature control implemented on the embedded computer keeps the temperature from reaching levels that will induce the heat sho

SUBMITTER: Chen X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5722245 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature