We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Imaging dendritic spines in the hippocampus of a living mouse by 3D-STED microscopy
Summary
Researchers extended 3D STED super-resolution microscopy to image dendritic spines in the hippocampus of living mice, achieving nanoscale resolution in three dimensions within deep brain tissue and opening new possibilities for studying synaptic structures in vivo.
Abstract STED microscopy has been used to address a wide range of neurobiological questions in optically well-accessible samples like cell culture or brain slices. However, the application of STED to deeply embedded structures in the brain of living animals remains technically challenging. In previous work, we established chronic STED imaging in the hippocampus in vivo but the gain in spatial resolution was restricted to the lateral plane. In this study, we report on extending the gain in STED resolution into the optical axis to visualize dendritic spines in the hippocampus in vivo . The approach is based on a spatial light modulator to shape the focal STED light intensity in all three dimensions and a conically shaped window that is compatible with an objective that has a long working distance and a high numerical aperture. Moreover, we corrected distortions of the laser wavefront to optimize the shape of the bottle beam of the STED laser, which is required for 3D-STED microscopy. In summary, we present a methodology to improve the axial resolution for STED microscopy in the deeply embedded hippocampus in vivo , facilitating longitudinal studies of neuroanatomical plasticity at the nanoscale in a wide range of (patho-)physiological contexts.
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Imaging dendritic spines in the hippocampus of a living mouse by 3D-stimulated emission depletion microscopy
This paper is not about microplastics; it presents an in vivo 3D super-resolution microscopy methodology for imaging dendritic spines in the mouse hippocampus.
In vivo super-resolution of the brain – How to visualize the hidden nanoplasticity?
Researchers reviewed how super-resolution fluorescence microscopy techniques — which allow scientists to image structures smaller than what conventional light microscopes can resolve — are being used to study the nanoscale structure and plasticity of brain synapses in living mice. These imaging advances help reveal how tiny changes in brain connections relate to learning and memory, using "nanoplasticity" in its neurological sense rather than as a reference to plastic pollution.
Stable but not rigid: Chronic in vivo STED nanoscopy reveals extensive remodeling of spines, indicating multiple drivers of plasticity
Researchers used chronic in vivo STED nanoscopy to track dendritic spine geometry in mouse neocortex over one month, finding that spine heads and necks undergo extensive, largely uncorrelated remodeling even without induced plasticity. The results indicate that multiple independent mechanisms drive spine structural dynamics beyond LTP-dependent pathways.
Author response: Environmental enrichment enhances patterning and remodeling of synaptic nanoarchitecture as revealed by STED nanoscopy
Researchers developed a virtually crosstalk-free two-color in vivo STED nanoscopy system to simultaneously superresolve PSD95 post-synaptic density dynamics and spine geometry in the mouse cortex, finding that environmental enrichment enhanced the patterning and remodeling of synaptic nanoarchitecture in ways not detectable by conventional microscopy.
Environmental enrichment enhances patterning and remodeling of synaptic nanoarchitecture as revealed by STED nanoscopy
Researchers used STED nanoscopy to reveal that environmental enrichment enhances the patterning and remodeling of synaptic nanoarchitecture in the brain, demonstrating experience-dependent structural plasticity at an unprecedented nanoscale resolution.