A new technique meant to image the brain in order to comprehend its functionality through an incredible new perspective has been developed by some scientists from both the west and east coast of the United States in collaboration. Impressive imaging of living tissues can be obtained using the technologies of expansion microscopy and lattice light- sheet microscopy individually. However, the newly developed technique is a combination of these techniques.
Nano- scale resolution of neurons and their connection, along with the organelles within the living brain cells is an outcome of the new approach. Areas such as cortical column of mice or the entire brain of Drosophila flies are large enough where all this is possible. One of the senior scientists involved in this study, Edward Boyden said that many problems in biology are related to multiscale. He further explained that the sight of the nanoscale configuration of biomolecules is not omitted using lattice light- sheet microscopy along with the expansion microscopy process makes it possible to image large scale.
Interestingly, tracing neural circuits, tracking of neural development and even behavioral studies that identify the neural activity stimulated by some activities of living animals can all be done as the new approach is very fast. Most importantly, the new technique allows longer studies of the brain as it does not harm the tissues being studied as such.