New Technology Nanometer Imaging Helps Look Closely Inside Brain Tissue

Researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine and Harvard University have developed a new imaging technology to look at the insides of brains at a much higher resolution than was possible before. The technique employs an automated tape-collecting device equipped with a diamond knife to obtain ultra-thin brain sections, which are then scanned under an electron microscope. Different colors are used to identify different cellular objects using a software.

The researchers have already used the technique to study the mouse brain in detail, focusing on the region that processes what the whiskers are sensing. They also analyzed what kind of information the imaging technique can provide.

The imaging technique is able to achieve involves a number of steps, including sectioning of the brain tissue, using a scanning electron microscope on it, and computer reconstruction of the data with special algorithms that helps recognize different objects of the brain.



Source-Medindia