Shining a Light

We’ve come a long way since the first microscopes in the 16th century, as illustrated here by an image created with mesoSPIM, the latest addition to the microscope family. Developed by scientists from different fields and European institutions, this new range of custom light-sheet microscopes allows scientists to create three-dimensional images of the brain in tiny detail, down to the level of individual neurons. High-resolution images of various tissue samples can be captured very quickly without having to cut them up as required with traditional microscopy. Once captured, images are used to construct a three-dimensional model of the whole sample, in this case the entire nervous system of a seven-day old chicken embryo. By teaching other scientists around the world how they can build and use their own mesoSPIM, the team hope that their invention will help unlock new insights about the neural networks in our brain and spinal cord.

Written by Gaëlle Coullon

Gaëlle Coullon

Writer

Gaëlle is a consultant and trainer in research communication and commercialisation. As an ex-neuroscientist, she is always looking for new ways to combine her love of writing with everything brain related.

• Image from mesospim.org
• Research from the Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
• Image copyright held by its originators
• Research published in Nature Methods, September 2019