Local Branches

Our neurons grow tiny branches called neurites to connect with other cells, stretching into networks which help us to process and respond to the outside world. There are billions of neurons in the brain so spotting patterns among them is sometimes as challenging as “seeing the wood for the trees”. Yet in this mouse brain, a technique called brainbow ‘paints’ neurons with different colours using fluorescent proteins, allowing a new microscopy technique called ChroMS to pick out individual cells among the busy branches. Capturing the scene in high resolution, we can take a virtual stroll through the nearby brain forest but also – later in the video – zoom out to trace the delicate shapes of individual neuronal ‘trees’ in the cerebral cortex. This powerful combination of techniques may reveal more about how different brain areas communicate, and how changes brought about by ageing or disease might alter these patterns.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

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 from work by Lamiae Abdeladim and colleagues
• Laboratory for Optics and Biosciences, Ecole polytechnique, CNRS, INSERM, IP Paris, Palaiseau, France
• Video originally published under a Creative Commons Licence (BY 4.0)
• Published in Nature Communications, April 2019