A research group led by Professor Hitoshi Hashimoto, Assistant Professor Junji Kasai, and Assistant Professor Kaoru Kaoru of the Future Strategy Organization of the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University has found that cells and nerve fibers can identify the entire brain of mice and non-human primates. We have succeeded in developing an imaging device "FAST" that enables high-speed observation with high resolution.
In the elucidation of human diseases and the development of therapeutic methods, it is useful to investigate the structure and function of the brain using model disease animals and to find a method to restore them to normal.However, until now, there was a technical limit, and it was necessary to focus on a very limited part of the brain, and it was difficult to grasp the whole picture of the brain.
This time, the group has developed a FAST device that acquires images of the entire brain by repeating the operation of excising the photographed part with a slicer after photographing the surface of the brain tissue.This device can image the entire brain in detail at a speed several tens of times faster than before and with a resolution that can identify nerve fibers.
Since the function of the brain is highly differentiated depending on the part, precise observation of the entire brain is indispensable. Since it has become possible to make quantitative comparisons, it is expected that translational research will progress toward the development of therapeutic agents and preventive methods for mental and neurological disorders.
Paper information: [Neuron] High-speed and scalable whole-brain imaging in rodents and primates
