3D Brain Imaging Technique Allows Scientists to Monitor Entire Nervous System

Researchers at MIT and the University of Vienna have created an imaging system that reveals neural activity throughout the brains of living animals. This technique, the first that can generate 3D movies of entire brains at the millisecond timescale, could help scientists discover how neuronal networks process sensory information and generate behavior. The team used the new system to simultaneously image the activity of every neuron in the worm Caenorhabditis elegans, as well as the entire brain of a zebrafish larva, offering a more complete picture of nervous system activity than has been previously possible. The new approach, which uses an optimized light-field microscope, could help neuroscientists learn more about the biological basis of brain disorders.