Brainstorm

Packed into each of our brains are roughly a hundred billion nerve cells. Each one can connect up to as many as 7000 other nerve cells at sites called synapses. It’s therefore no wonder that the task of studying billions of nerve cells with trillions of synapses is rather tricky. To see the wood from the trees very powerful microscopy techniques are needed, such as stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM). Nerve cells are often comprised of very long extensions that weave in and out of each other, much like strings of spaghetti in a bowl. Applying STORM in 3D allows these stringy cells to be traced through the long and winding routes they travel. In the STORM image pictured the changes in colour reflect how deep into the sample the nerve cells have delved.

Written by Lux Fatimathas

Lux Fatimathas

Writer

Having pursued science through a career in research, communications and publishing, she is currently a writer and editor for a healthcare marketing agency and also juggles freelance science writing.

• Jeff Lichtman
• Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, USA
• Originally published under Creative Commons (CC-BY 2.0)
• Published in PLoS ONE 7(1)