Tiny Microscopes Reveal Hidden Role of Nervous System Cells

Apr-28-2016 0 comments Cube Biosystems

Astrocytes (genetically labeled in green) in a spinal cord (co-stained with glial fibrillary acidic protein, red, to visualize its outline) react to the activity of sensation with their own chemical signals. Credit: Salk Institute

A microscope about the size of a penny is giving scientists a new window into the everyday activity of cells within the spinal cord. The innovative technology revealed that astrocytes-cells in the nervous system that do not conduct electrical signals and were traditionally viewed as merely supportive-unexpectedly react to intense sensation.

The new miniaturized microscope and related imaging methods, described by Salk Institute scientists on April 28, 2016 in Nature Communications, offer unprecedented insight into nervous system function and could lead to novel pain treatments for spinal cord injuries, chronic itch and neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

The team is now working to simultaneously record touch or pain-related activity in the brain and spinal cord using additional iterations of the miniaturized microscopes, which allow them to monitor and manipulate multiple cell types at even higher resolutions.