Open AccessComputed tomography imaging of the neuronal structure of Drosophila brain
Author(s) -
Mizutani Ryuta,
Takeuchi Akihisa,
Hara Tomohiro,
Uesugi Kentaro,
Suzuki Yoshio
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of synchrotron radiation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.172
H-Index - 99
ISSN - 1600-5775
DOI - 10.1107/s0909049507009004
Subject(s) - confocal , central nervous system , neuroscience , contrast (vision) , confocal microscopy , fluorescence , microscopy , anatomy , biophysics , biology , chemistry , optics , physics
The neural circuit of the central nervous system (CNS) primarily determines brain functions and, as a consequence, controls animal behavior. This paper describes an X‐ray microtomographic analysis of the Drosophila larvae CNS, visualizing the neural network embedded in the three‐dimensional structure of the nerve tissue. In fluorescence confocal microscopy, absorbance at emission or excitation wavelengths interferes with the fluorescence detection. In contrast, transparency of the nerve tissue to hard X‐rays enables tomographic analysis of the intact CNS without sectioning. Yet the nerve tissue is composed of light elements that give little contrast in a hard X‐ray transmission image. The contrast was enhanced by staining neuropils in the CNS with metal elements. The obtained structure revealed the internal architecture of the CNS. This metal‐staining microtomographic analysis can be applied to any nerve tissues, thereby shedding light on the underlying structural basis of neural functions.