Email Print Share
January 15, 2015

Expansion Microscopy brings the brain in 3-D into focus


A new technique called expansion microscopy uses chemicals commonly found in baby diapers to swell mouse brain tissue samples with water to nearly five times the usual size, with little distortion. Tiny details once blurry now appear sharply in focus with a conventional microscope. This advance gives scientists a new way to see small parts of the brain, like the intersections between neurons. The NSF-funded findings, from Ed Boyden, Fei Chen and Paul Tillberg at MIT, are in the Jan. 15 issue of the journal Science. Learn more about NSF support for brain research at NSF.gov/brain and neuroengineering projects at NSF.gov/brainpower/.

Credit: at the end of video


Images and other media in the National Science Foundation Multimedia Gallery are available for use in print and electronic material by NSF employees, members of the media, university staff, teachers and the general public. All media in the gallery are intended for personal, educational and nonprofit/non-commercial use only.

Videos credited to the National Science Foundation, an agency of the U.S. Government, may be distributed freely. However, some materials within the videos may be copyrighted. If you would like to use portions of NSF-produced programs in another product, please contact the Video Team in the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs at the National Science Foundation.

Additional information about general usage can be found in Conditions.