Shining a New Light on Brain Cell Imaging
Researchers have been studying brain cells through microscopes for decades, but a new technique called Super-resolution Shadow Imaging (SUSHI) promises to revolutionize this process. The new technique allows researchers to simultaneously image all the cells in a given brain region at once, so it’s no longer necessary to individually label each cell they want to study to keep them visually distinct.
The imaging technique forms a sort of “photographic negative” of the space surrounding the brain cells, according to Swedish researcher Dr. Jan Tønnesen, making the cells much easier to identify and study. As an added bonus, the SUSHI method greatly alleviates the problems of photobleaching and phototoxicity associated with traditional imaging approaches.
“In the past we used to come across blank spaces in the microscopy images, because we were unable to label all the cells at the same time,” said Dr. Tønnesen. “This technique will enable us to see all the cells in the area of study that we put under the microscope lens as well as all their interactions, and that will allow us to advance our knowledge of brain functions in a healthy organ and in a diseased one.”