eBook: Advancing Neuroscience Research - 6

Microscopy Advances Accelerate
Neuroscience Research
New tech approaches brain imaging in ways that weren't
previously possible.
The intricacies of brain function are intimately
tied to the complexity of brain structure, both of
which we are only just beginning to understand.
Microscopy, one of the most important tools for
unraveling the interconnectedness of brain structures,
is advancing at a quick pace. Advances such
as super-resolution microscopy are enabling neuroscientists
to approach brain imaging in ways
that weren't previously possible, visualizing the
nervous system at subcellular and molecular
levels, and raising hopes of future therapies for
neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's
disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS). Here's a look at recent neuroscience
discoveries made possible by ongoing
microscopy advances.
Imaging the brain without labels
Neuroscientists are using coherent Raman scattering
(CRS) microscopy-which achieves subcellular
spatial resolution without using imaging
labels-to investigate mechanisms of neurodegenerative
diseases, such as imaging the amyloid
plaque pathology seen in Alzheimer's disease,1
Lewy pathology (bodies and neurites) observed in
the
Parkinson's disease,2
that occurs during ALS.3
and the nerve degeneration
CRS microscopy " achieves
chemically specific image contrasts by exciting
the molecular vibrations of endogenous chemical
compounds that are present in a sample, " says Volker
Schweikhard, Application Manager in the Life
Science Division at Leica Microsystems.
Leica's STELLARIS 8 CRS microscope gives researchers
the tools to achieve this in 2D cell culture,
3D organoid models, and 3D tissues. " Another
emerging research field enabled by CRS is the
optical imaging of metabolic activities in animals,
including de novo lipid and protein synthesis in
brain tissues, " says Schweikhard. " This approach
looks particularly promising to study brain development
and degeneration. "
Indeed, using CRS microscopy along with other imaging
methods is already leading to new discoveries.
For example, combining CRS with fluorescence
microscopy uncovered a connection between
pro-inflammatory states of microglia and aging-related
brain dysfunctionalities.4
" And at the current
rate of progress, " says Schweikhard, " the range of
applications in neuroscience can be expected to
grow even further. "
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eBook: Advancing Neuroscience Research

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