Stitch in Time

Often biologists looking down through microscopes are forced to compromise between seeing tiny details or large scales. Here, though, scientists use an advanced high-resolution microscope to produce a wide sweeping image of human neurons in fine detail. The cells – cortical neurons grown in a lab dish – are imaged in regions or 'tiles' which are then stitched together by computer software, highlighting the branch-like axons (green) and dendrites (pink) together with each neuron’s nucleus (blue). While this technology could be used to capture different types of cells across a wide area at specific moments in time, these researchers are exploring how clumps of expired proteins build up in human neurons, leading to sticky aggregates of beta amyloid, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, and alpha synuclein in Parkinson’s disease.

Video captured on a Leica Microsystem's Viventis Scape microscope at the Micron Imaging Facility, University of Oxford

This video's stitched tile join artefacts were corrected using Fung et al's VISTAmap – an updated fast-loading version is available here

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

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A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Video by Dr Nick Gatford
• Baldwin Group, Department of Chemistry Kavli Institute for Nanosience Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford
• Video published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)