The Silvestri group develops advanced light-sheet microscopy methods to uncover how brain circuits encode behaviour. Their research integrates tissue clearing, high-resolution optical imaging, and computational analysis to achieve whole-brain mapping at cellular resolution. By creating scalable tools such as BRANT, they quantify neuronal activation patterns during learning, memory, and emotional processing. The group’s goal is to link microscopic neural activity with macroscopic brain function, revealing how distributed networks change across states and between sexes. Through continuous innovation in imaging and data analysis, the lab strives to push the boundaries of systems neuroscience and brain-wide mapping.

Their current work uses light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) to capture 3D structural imaging of intact murine cells, enabling volumetric visualization across cleared tissue blocks. With custom hardware and software, they can accelerate frame rates and reduce photobleaching, combining it with tissue clearing, fluorescence labelling, and image segmentation to reconstruct cellular morphology in situ. The experiments validate LSFM as a tool for 3D imaging of muscle injury and repair, requiring fast imaging, with good resolution for structural mapping of large, complex tissue samples.