An overview of the techniques used in modern neuroscience research with the emphasis on showing how different techniques can optimally be combined in the study of problems that arise at some levels of nervous system organization. This is essentially a working tool for the scientist in the laboratory and clinic, providing detailed step-by-step protocols with tips and recommendations. Most chapters and protocols are organized such that they can be used independently, while cross-references between the chapters, a glossary, a list of suppliers and appendices provide further help.
This open access book provides a comprehensive overview of the application of the newest laser and microscope/ophthalmoscope technology in the field of high resolution imaging in microscopy and ophthalmology. Starting by describing High-Resolution 3D Light Microscopy with STED and RESOLFT, the book goes on to cover retinal and anterior segment imaging and image-guided treatment and also discusses the development of adaptive optics in vision science and ophthalmology. Using an interdisciplinary approach, the reader will learn about the latest developments and most up to date technology in the field and how these translate to a medical setting. High Resolution Imaging in Microscopy and Ophthalmology – New Frontiers in Biomedical Optics has been written by leading experts in the field and offers insights on engineering, biology, and medicine, thus being a valuable addition for scientists, engineers, and clinicians with technical and medical interest who would like to understand the equipment, the applications and the medical/biological background. Lastly, this book is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Gerhard Zinser, co-founder of Heidelberg Engineering GmbH, a scientist, a husband, a brother, a colleague, and a friend.
The major advantage of in vivo optical techniques is the ability to study many levels of function of the CNS that are inaccessible by other methods. This rapidly expanding field is multidisciplinary in nature and findings have thus far been scattered throughout the literature. In Vivo Optical Imaging of Brain Function reviews the wide varie
This book has brought together leading investigators who work in the new arena of brain connectomics. This includes ‘macro-connectome’ efforts to comprehensively chart long-distance pathways and functional networks; ‘micro-connectome’ efforts to identify every neuron, axon, dendrite, synapse, and glial process within restricted brain regions; and ‘meso-connectome’ efforts to systematically map both local and long-distance connections using anatomical tracers. This book highlights cutting-edge methods that can accelerate progress in elucidating static ‘hard-wired’ circuits of the brain as well as dynamic interactions that are vital for brain function. The power of connectomic approaches in characterizing abnormal circuits in the many brain disorders that afflict humankind is considered. Experts in computational neuroscience and network theory provide perspectives needed for synthesizing across different scales in space and time. Altogether, this book provides an integrated view of the challenges and opportunities in deciphering brain circuits in health and disease.
Pericytes were originally discovered and named more than hundred years ago as contractile cells around the blood vessel endothelial cells. Due to the lack of exclusive markers, pericytes are now defined by a combination of location, morphology and gene expression. Pericytes are attracting increasing attention as important regulators during development and during normal and disturbed organ function. In recent years, remarkable progress has been made in the identification and characterization of pericytes subpopulations and their amazing functions using state-of-art techniques. These advantages facilitated identification of molecular basis of interaction between these cells with several other more well studied cell types, and revealed key signals derived from pericytes involved in homeostasis, regeneration, and disease regulation. In the last ten years, several unexpected roles of pericytes have been discovered. It has been demonstrated that pericytes from different tissues differ in their properties as well as functions. Even more, pericytes are heterogeneous also within the same organ. This book is will describe the major contributions of pericytes to different organs biology in physiological and pathological conditions. The book will teach the readers about this so special cell type that 10 years ago was almost completely forgotten, and it was associated basically only with vascular stability. Recently, it become a very hot topic to work in. Several articles in Nature, Science and Cell have been and are being currently published about this cell type. These recent works are revealing how important those cells are for before unimaginable biological processes. Thus, this book will update us on what are the most novel functions attributed to these cells. Also, will introduce to the young generation all the history about these cells from when they were discovered in different organs till where we are now in this field. So it will be a great book for both cell biology students as well as researchers that will have an update on these cells biology in different organs.
This book brings together leading investigators who represent various aspects of brain dynamics with the goal of presenting state-of-the-art current progress and address future developments. The individual chapters cover several fascinating facets of contemporary neuroscience from elementary computation of neurons, mesoscopic network oscillations, internally generated assembly sequences in the service of cognition, large-scale neuronal interactions within and across systems, the impact of sleep on cognition, memory, motor-sensory integration, spatial navigation, large-scale computation and consciousness. Each of these topics require appropriate levels of analyses with sufficiently high temporal and spatial resolution of neuronal activity in both local and global networks, supplemented by models and theories to explain how different levels of brain dynamics interact with each other and how the failure of such interactions results in neurologic and mental disease. While such complex questions cannot be answered exhaustively by a dozen or so chapters, this volume offers a nice synthesis of current thinking and work-in-progress on micro-, meso- and macro- dynamics of the brain.
This book offers an overview of imaging techniques used to investigate cells and tissue in their native environment. It covers the range of imaging approaches used, as well as the application of those techniques to the study of biological processes in cells and whole tissues within living organisms.
Recognition that aging is not the accumulation of disease, but rather comprises fundamental biological processes that are amenable to experimental study, is the basis for the recent growth of experimental biogerontology. As increasingly sophisticated studies provide greater understanding of what occurs in the aging brain and how these changes occur
Biomedical optical imaging is a rapidly emerging research area with widespread fundamental research and clinical applications. This book gives an overview of biomedical optical imaging with contributions from leading international research groups who have pioneered many of these techniques and applications. A unique research field spanning the microscopic to the macroscopic, biomedical optical imaging allows both structural and functional imaging. Techniques such as confocal and multiphoton microscopy provide cellular level resolution imaging in biological systems. The integration of this technology with exogenous chromophores can selectively enhance contrast for molecular targets as well as supply functional information on processes such as nerve transduction. Novel techniques integrate microscopy with state-of-the-art optics technology, and these include spectral imaging, two photon fluorescence correlation, nonlinear nanoscopy; optical coherence tomography techniques allow functional, dynamic, nanoscale, and cross-sectional visualization. Moving to the macroscopic scale, spectroscopic assessment and imaging methods such as fluorescence and light scattering can provide diagnostics of tissue pathology including neoplastic changes. Techniques using light diffusion and photon migration are a means to explore processes which occur deep inside biological tissues and organs. The integration of these techniques with exogenous probes enables molecular specific sensitivity.
