While ultra high field MRI techniques continue to break the boundaries of what was once thought possible in terms of image resolution, microscopy techniques allow us to visualize structures, such as individual neurons and their axons, that are too small to see with even the most powerful non-invasive macroscale imaging methods.

INFERNAL NEURONS

Eve-Marie Frigon

DSU-Spinning disk confocal microscopy

This image shows the neurons of the claustrum, a deep structure of the brain involved in sensory integration, which allows us to become aware of our surroundings. In the image, we can see the cell bodies (yellow 'blobs'), dendrites and their spines, as well as the axons of five neurons. The axons, which conduct electricity in the brain, are clearly visible protruding from the cell bodies, whilst the dendrites are more blue in color. Cell bodies are no larger than 10 micrometers (µm), while their axons are no thicker than 1 µm - for comparison, a human hair is approximately 70 µm in diameter. These infinitely small structures are, however, essential to our consciousness. They are activated when we see an object: it is the claustrum that makes us aware of seeing these neurons on the screen!

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March 7th, 2023

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