The most stunning scientific images from QBI have been unveiled.
Vote for your favourite neuroscience image and go into the draw to win a framed copy of the winner. Winners will be announced on December 16.
Silvern oldies: Hippocampal neurons labelled by the 19th century silver staining method of Golgi and revealed by a state-of-the-art technology. Old techniques still do the job!
The great unknown: A snapshot of a brain in cross section and masked in black.
Starry starry night: A fish’s skin will provide the light. A close up of dottyback pigmentary cells reveals that this fish can change colour by varying the amount of yellow and black cells within its skin.
Interconnectivity – dance of SNAREs in the dark: The mobile signature of single syntaxin1A proteins at the motor nerve terminal of a living fruit fly larva.
Kapwa: The full body of the zebrafish is captured using high-resolution fluorescence microscopy. Taking advantage of the transparent skin of the zebrafish, fluorescent proteins are observed in many slices through the fish, resulting in a large 3D monochrome image. This image is then transformed into a 2D image by using colour to represent height.
That which makes us linger: Being able to accurately trace neurons (brain cells), including the fine protrusions (spines) where they connect with other neurons is essential to advancing our understanding of the brain. This image was captured using high-resolution spinning disk confocal microscopy and further processed using a technique called “deconvolution” to digitally restore finer, previously obscured details. The combination of these techniques here allows a precise reproduction of two adjacent neurons. Colour in this image reflects depth in 3D.
Within the in-between: Rapid imaging of fluorescently labelled neurons using confocal microscopy allows researchers to build 3D models of the fine cellular architecture of the brain. This image reveals the cell bodies (large round objects) of neurons and their complex interconnected processes. Shades of orange through to blue reflect the height at which each neuron is sitting within the 3D tissue volume.
BrainSTORM: Growth cone of a young hippocampal neuron reaching out to make new connections, a fundamental process underlying learning and memory.
Survival instinct: These neurons in the dorsal periaqueductal grey generate the instantaneous survival reaction that saves your life during dangerous situations!
Our inner universe on Alzheimer’s: Interpreting amyloid-beta’s plague on our peripheral brains and inner mind. A striking difference can be observed in the healthy brain (top hemisphere) to a plaque invaded Alzheimer’s brain (bottom hemisphere).