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Neural Pointillism: Lighting Up the Brain in Psychedelic Relief [Slide Show]
Genetic engineering enables individual brain cells of research animals to ignite in brilliant color to trace the elaborate connections of a nervous system
Neural Pointillism: Lighting Up the Brain in Psychedelic Relief [Slide Show]
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Box: Reconstruction of a small-volume region of the cerebral cortex using automated serial section electron microscopy reveals the closely packed nerve cells. Bobby Kasthuri, Daniel Berger, Sebastian Seung of MIT and Jeff Lichtman of Harvard
Tangle: A high magnification image of a region of the cerebral cortex is reconstructed with serial section electron microscopy, another new technique to map the connectome. The area in the center—look for tiny white threads—pinpoints the whereabouts of every nerve cell in that one location. Bobby Kasthuri, Daniel Berger, Sebastian Seung of MIT and Jeff Lichtman of Harvard
Modern Art: A close-in image shows the cerebral cortex of a Brainbow mouse Tamily Weissman, Jean Livet, Joshua Sanes and Jeff Lichtman, Harvard University
Inputs: A cross-section of a mouse cerebellum, a structure involved with regulating muscle activity, receives signals from the axons of mossy fiber neurons, the green branching threads. Tamily Weissman, Jean Livet, Joshua Sanes and Jeff Lichtman, Harvard University
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Wiggle Map: The entire connectome, a comprehensive tracing of nerve connections, is revealed for a small mouse muscle that wiggles the mouse’s ear (reconstruction from fluorescent protein-labeled muscle nerves). Ju Lu and Jeff Lichtman, Harvard University
Connections: An image of a small region, taken with a confocal microscope, shows the point where the axons from spinal neurons link to muscle fibers. Dawan Cai, Joshua Sanes and Jeff Lichtman, Harvard University
Colored Ribbons: Wire-like extensions from spinal neurons called axons connect to muscles (not shown). Dawan Cai, Joshua Sanes and Jeff Lichtman, Harvard University
Line of Lights: A high-power closeup of the excitatory neurons in the hippocampus focuses on a region called the dentate gyrus. Joanna Wessman, Jean Livet, Joshua Sanes and Jeff Lichtman, Harvard University
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On Switches: A line of Brainbow-engineered cells in a mouse hippocampus glow brightly, revealing excitatory cells that make neurons fire in the folding structure (middle and bottom) that is intimately involved in forming new memories. The cortex is the separate region at top. Joanna Wessman, Jean Livet, Joshua Sanes and Jeff Lichtman, Harvard University
Support Cells: Astrocytes, so-called support cells, which have been found in recent years to play a critical role in a multitude of brain functions, show up as colored tiling surrounding neurons, the dark ovals in this image of a mouse brain. Jean Livet Joshua Sanes and Jeff Lichtman, Harvard University
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