PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

New chemical reagent turns mouse brain transparent

Combined with fluorescence labeling, new approach produces 3D images at unprecedented depth and levels of spatial detail

New chemical reagent turns mouse brain transparent
2011-09-01
(Press-News.org) Researchers at RIKEN, Japan's flagship research organization, have developed a ground-breaking new aqueous reagent which literally turns biological tissue transparent. Experiments using fluorescence microscopy on samples treated with the reagent, published this week in Nature Neuroscience, have produced vivid 3D images of neurons and blood vessels deep inside the mouse brain. Highly effective and cheap to produce, the reagent offers an ideal means for analyzing the complex organs and networks that sustain living systems.

Our understanding of biological organisms and how they function is intrinsically tied to the limits of what we can actually see. Even today's most promising techniques for visualizing biological tissue face this limitation: mechanical methods require that samples be sectioned into smaller pieces for visualization, while optical methods are prevented by the scattering property of light from probing deeper than 1mm into tissue. Either way, the full scope and detail of the biological sample is lost.

The new reagent, referred to as Scale and developed by Atsushi Miyawaki and his team at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute (BSI), gets around these problems by doing two things together that no earlier technique has managed to do. The first is to render biological tissue transparent. Scale does this significantly better than other clearing reagents and without altering the overall shape or proportions of the sample. The second is to avoid decreasing the intensity of signals emitted by genetically-encoded fluorescent proteins in the tissue, which are used as markers to label specific cell types.

This combination makes possible a revolution in optical imaging, enabling researchers to visualize fluorescently-labeled brain samples at a depth of several millimeters and reconstruct neural networks at sub-cellular resolution. Already, Miyawaki and his team have used Scale to study neurons in the mouse brain at an unprecedented depth and level of resolution, shedding light onto the intricate networks of the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and white matter. Initial experiments exploit Scale's unique properties to visualize the axons connecting left and right hemispheres and blood vessels in the postnatal hippocampus in greater detail than ever before.

But the potential of Scale goes much further. "Our current experiments are focused on the mouse brain, but applications are neither limited to mice, nor to the brain," Miyawaki explains. "We envision using Scale on other organs such as the heart, muscles and kidneys, and on tissues from primate and human biopsy samples."

Looking ahead, Miyawaki's team has set its sights on an ambitious goal. "We are currently investigating another, milder candidate reagent which would allow us to study live tissue in the same way, at somewhat lower levels of transparency. This would open the door to experiments that have simply never been possible before."



INFORMATION:


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
New chemical reagent turns mouse brain transparent

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Mild hearing loss linked to brain atrophy in older adults

2011-09-01
PHILADELPHIA - A new study by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania shows that declines in hearing ability may accelerate gray mater atrophy in auditory areas of the brain and increase the listening effort necessary for older adults to successfully comprehend speech. When a sense (taste, smell, sight, hearing, touch) is altered, the brain reorganizes and adjusts. In the case of poor hearers, researchers found that the gray matter density of the auditory areas was lower in people with decreased hearing ability, suggesting a ...

Dramatic satellite image shows daylight breaking over newborn Atlantic Tropical Storm Katia

Dramatic satellite image shows daylight breaking over newborn Atlantic Tropical Storm Katia
2011-09-01
Tropical Depression 12 strengthened into tropical storm Katia as daylight broke in the eastern Atlantic this morning. Stunning satellite imagery from the GOES-13 satellite revealed a well-formed tropical storm as the sun's first rays reached it. The National Hurricane Center named Katia a tropical storm today, August 30, 2011, at 5 a.m. EDT. As newborn Katia speeds west-northwest the current track projects it moving north of the Leeward Islands on the weekend. Because wind shear is light and sea surface temperatures are warm in the area where Katia is headed, the National ...

Goodnight Irene: NASA's TRMM Satellite adds up Irene's massive rainfall totals

Goodnight Irene: NASAs TRMM Satellite adds up Irenes massive rainfall totals
2011-09-01
The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) has been busy doing just that: measuring the massive amounts of rainfall left in the wake of Hurricane Irene as she ravaged the Caribbean and U.S. East coast this past week. TRMM is a satellite that is managed by both NASA and the Japanese Space Agency, and provides inside looks at rainfall rates occurring in tropical weather, including hurricanes. Over the life of Irene, TRMM also calculated cloud heights, which indicated strengthening or weakening of the hurricane. TRMM noticed that whenever "hot towers" or towering high ...

Extreme 2010 Russian fires and Pakistan floods linked meteorologically

Extreme 2010 Russian fires and Pakistan floods linked meteorologically
2011-09-01
GREENBELT, Md. -- Two of the most destructive natural disasters of 2010 were closely linked by a single meteorological event, even though they occurred 1,500 miles (2,414 km) apart and were of completely different natures, a new NASA study suggests. The research finds that the same large-scale meteorological event — an abnormal Rossby wave — sparked extreme heat and persistent wildfires in Russia as well as unusual downstream wind patterns that shifted rainfall in the Indian monsoon region and fueled heavy flooding in Pakistan. Although the heat wave started before the ...

A 'nano,' environmentally friendly, and low toxicity flame retardant protects fabric

2011-09-01
Contact: Michael Bernstein m_bernstein@acs.org 303-228-8532 (Aug. 25-Sept. 1) 202-872-6042 (Before Aug. 25) Michael Woods m_woods@acs.org 303-228-8532 (Aug. 25-Sept. 1) 202-872-6293 (Before Aug. 25) American Chemical Society A 'nano,' environmentally friendly, and low toxicity flame retardant protects fabric DENVER, Aug. 31, 2011 — The technology in "fire paint" used to protect steel beams in buildings and other structures has found a new life as a first-of-its-kind flame retardant for children's cotton sleepwear, terrycloth bathrobes and other apparel, ...

Potatoes reduce blood pressure in people with obesity and high blood pressure

2011-09-01
Contact: Michael Bernstein m_bernstein@acs.org 303-228-8532 (Aug. 25-Sept. 1) 202-872-6042 (Before Aug. 25) Michael Woods m_woods@acs.org 303-228-8532 (Aug. 25-Sept. 1) 202-872-6293 (Before Aug. 25) American Chemical Society Potatoes reduce blood pressure in people with obesity and high blood pressure DENVER, Aug. 31, 2011 — The potato's stereotype as a fattening food for health-conscious folks to avoid is getting another revision today as scientists report that just a couple servings of spuds a day reduces blood pressure almost as much as oatmeal without ...

A step toward a saliva test for cancer

2011-09-01
Contact: Michael Bernstein m_bernstein@acs.org 303-228-8532 (Aug. 25-Sept. 1) 202-872-6042 (Before Aug. 25) Michael Woods m_woods@acs.org 303-228-8532 (Aug. 25-Sept. 1) 202-872-6293 (Before Aug. 25) American Chemical Society A step toward a saliva test for cancer DENVER, Aug. 31, 2011 — A new saliva test can measure the amount of potential carcinogens stuck to a person's DNA — interfering with the action of genes involved in health and disease — and could lead to a commercial test to help determine risks for cancer and other diseases, scientists reported ...

'Plastic bottle' solution for arsenic-contaminated water threatening 100 million people

2011-09-01
Contact: Michael Bernstein m_bernstein@acs.org 303-228-8532 (Aug. 25-Sept. 1) 202-872-6042 (Before Aug. 25) Michael Woods m_woods@acs.org 303-228-8532 (Aug. 25-Sept. 1) 202-872-6293 (Before Aug. 25) American Chemical Society 'Plastic bottle' solution for arsenic-contaminated water threatening 100 million people DENVER, Aug. 31, 2011 — With almost 100 million people in developing countries exposed to dangerously high levels of arsenic in their drinking water, and unable to afford complex purification technology, scientists today described a simple, inexpensive ...

Cutting soot emissions: Fastest, most economical way to slow global warming

2011-09-01
Contact: Michael Bernstein m_bernstein@acs.org 303-228-8532 (Aug. 25-Sept. 1) 202-872-6042 (Before Aug. 25) Michael Woods m_woods@acs.org 303-228-8532 (Aug. 25-Sept. 1) 202-872-6293 (Before Aug. 25) American Chemical Society Cutting soot emissions: Fastest, most economical way to slow global warming DENVER, Aug. 31, 2011 — A new study of dust-like particles of soot in the air — now emerging as the second most important — but previously overlooked — factor in global warming provides fresh evidence that reducing soot emissions from diesel engines and other ...

Not tonight deer: A new birth control vaccine helps reduce urban deer damage

2011-09-01
Contact: Michael Bernstein m_bernstein@acs.org 303-228-8532 (Aug. 25-Sept. 1) 202-872-6042 (Before Aug. 25) Michael Woods m_woods@acs.org 303-228-8532 (Aug. 25-Sept. 1) 202-872-6293 (Before Aug. 25) American Chemical Society Not tonight deer: A new birth control vaccine helps reduce urban deer damage DENVER, Aug. 31, 2011 — A new birth control vaccine for white-tailed deer — a growing nuisance in urban areas for gardens and landscaping — eliminates the dangerous reproductive behavior behind the annual autumn surge in automobile-deer collisions. The vaccine, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Wetland plant-fungus combo cleans up ‘forever chemicals’ in a pilot study

Traditional Chinese medicine combined with peginterferon α-2b in chronic hepatitis B

APS and SPR honor Dr. Wendy K. Chung with the 2026 Mary Ellen Avery Neonatal Research Award

The Gabriella Miller Kids First Data Resource Center (Kids First DRC) has launched the Variant Workbench

Yeast survives Martian conditions

Calcium could be key to solving stability issues in sodium-ion batteries

Can smoother surfaces prevent hydrogen embrittlement?

Heart rate changes predict depression treatment success with magnetic brain stimulation

Genetics pioneer transforms global depression research through multi-omics discoveries

MDMA psychiatric applications synthesized: Comprehensive review examines PTSD treatment and emerging therapeutic indications

Psychedelics offer new therapeutic framework for stress-related psychiatric disorders

Brain cell discoveries reshape understanding of psychiatric disorders

Mom’s voice boosts language-center development in preemies’ brains, study finds

Development of silicon ultrasound patch achieves both eco-friendliness and performance enhancement

Measles immunity 90% in BC’s Lower Mainland

Women’s brain regions may lose ability to synchronize after sexual assault

Quitting smoking, even late in life, linked to slower cognitive decline

Critical raw materials are a vital new currency; Europe’s e-waste is the vault

Anesthesiologist-led care helps hip-fracture patients get to surgery faster, with fewer complications

Two-dose recombinant shingles vaccine is effective even accounting for prior receipt of live shingles vaccine

Excessive daytime sleepiness may raise risk of cognitive problems after surgery

Flipping the switch on sperm motility offers new hope for male infertility

Twisting sound: Scientists discover a new way to control mechanical vibrations in metamaterial

Drip by drip: The hidden blueprint for stalagmite growth

mRNA therapy restores sperm production and fertility in mice

New way to weaken cancer cells could supercharge prostate cancer treatment

How sound—but not touch—shapes rhythm in the brain

Exploring the therapeutic potential of hypothermia

Research alert: Bioengineering breathes new life into failed cancer treatment

AI, health, and health care today and tomorrow – the JAMA Summit Report on artificial intelligence

[Press-News.org] New chemical reagent turns mouse brain transparent
Combined with fluorescence labeling, new approach produces 3D images at unprecedented depth and levels of spatial detail