synapse
Cool Videos: Reconstructing the Cerebral Cortex
Posted on by Dr. Francis Collins
This colorful cylinder could pass for some sort of modern art sculpture, but it actually represents a sneak peak at some of the remarkable science that we can look forward to seeing from the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative. In a recent study in the journal Cell [1], NIH grantee Jeff Lichtman of Harvard University, Cambridge, MA and his colleagues unveiled the first digitized reconstruction of tissue from the mammalian cerebral cortex—the outermost part of the brain, responsible for complex behaviors.
Specifically, Lichtman’s group mapped in exquisite detail a very small cube of a mouse’s cerebral cortex. In fact, the cube is so tiny (smaller than a grain of sand!) that it contained no whole cells, just a profoundly complex tangle of finger-like nerve cell extensions called axons and dendrites. And what you see in this video is just one cylindrical portion of that tissue sample, in which Licthtman and colleagues went full force to identify and label every single cellular and intracellular element. The message-sending axons are delineated in an array of pastel colors, while more vivid hues of red, green, and purple mark the message-receiving dendrites and bright yellow indicates the nerve-insulating glia. In total, the cylinder contains parts of about 600 axons, 40 different dendrites, and 500 synapses, where nerve impulses are transmitted between cells.
Watching Neuron Attachments in Real Time
Posted on by Dr. Francis Collins
Caption: A living cortical neuron in a culture dish. Red and green dots reveal synapses—potential communication junctions between neurons.
Credit: Don Arnold, University of Southern California
This glittering web is actually a live nerve cell, or neuron, in which its branches are labeled with glowing probes. Each dot reveals a potential junction between neurons—called a synapse—where chemicals are released allowing the cells to talk to each other. The red dots reveal inhibitory synapses—which silence electrical signals—whereas the green dots show the excitatory synapses that promote electrical signals.
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