The work of neurons on video
The new shooting technology allows you to see the electrical activity of brain tissues
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a new imaging technology that allows you to see the propagation of electrical signals in the nerve tissues of the brain. This technology promises to provide invaluable assistance in the research of the processes of forming thoughts, feelings and finding out the causes of brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, etc.
Modern MRI technologies (magnetic resonance imaging) already give us a lot of information, but they are able to provide only a rough visualization of brain regions activated by one or another external pathogen. In order to get a picture of activity at the level of individual neurons that "communicate" with each other and work in groups to form thoughts and sensations, a tool with a higher resolution than an MRI scanner is required.
The lack of a tool capable of covering all 86 billion neurons of the human brain with its "gaze" forces neuroscientists to study the nervous system of the simplest of living beings, various worms and larvae, the number of neurons in the brain of which is in the hundreds. In addition, such studies use very complex and slow technologies, such as the introduction of electrodes into the nerve tissues of the brain, through which electrical signals are read.
The new technology developed by Professor Ed Boyden's group is able to provide a more complete picture of brain activity than other existing methods. This technology uses a specially selected fluorescent protein that binds to the cell membrane of neurons and reacts with its glow to electrical signals. It is the glow of this protein that allows you to track the path of signal propagation in neural circuits with high accuracy.
Professor Boyden's group even had to build a specialized laboratory robot that selected the most suitable fluorescent protein from more than 10 million candidates. The robot absolutely independently injected each of the tested proteins into a tissue cell, grew cells in Petri dishes and took pictures of the results obtained. To analyze the results, specialized software was used that determined the location, brightness of the glow and the resistance of each protein to the effects of various adverse factors.
Finally, the robot managed to find the most suitable type of fluorescent protein, with which the researchers stained the nerve tissues of the Caenorhabditis elegans worm, the danio larva and mouse brain tissue, which allowed them to get a visual picture of brain activity. This technology can be used in conjunction with other optogenetic technologies that allow either to suppress activity or, conversely, stimulate individual neurons, which will determine the path of propagation of signals from these individual neurons.
Having received a new shooting technology at their disposal, the researchers are going to use it to compile a detailed "activity map" of the entire brain of the experimental rodent. The data from this map will allow them in the future to determine with high accuracy the neural circuits and nodes responsible for processing certain stimuli, forming certain reactions and connecting with each other brain regions that perform various functions.
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