Getting sharper: the brain under the spotlight of super-resolution microscopy
Trends in Cell Biology. 2022-07-01; :
DOI: 10.1016/j.tcb.2022.06.011
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Arizono M(1), Idziak A(2), Quici F(2), Nägerl UV(3).
Author information:
(1)Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, University of Bordeaux and CNRS, Bordeaux, France; Department of Pharmacology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
(2)Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, University of Bordeaux and CNRS, Bordeaux, France.
(3)Interdisciplinary Institute for Neuroscience, University of Bordeaux and CNRS, Bordeaux, France. Electronic address: .
Brain cells such as neurons and astrocytes exhibit an extremely elaborate morphology, and their functional specializations like synapses and glial processes often fall below the resolution limit of conventional light microscopy. This is a huge obstacle for neurobiologists because the nanoarchitecture critically shapes fundamental functions like synaptic transmission and Ca2+ signaling. Super-resolution microscopy can overcome this problem, offering the chance to visualize the structural and molecular organization of brain cells in a living and dynamic tissue context, unlike traditional methods like electron microscopy or atomic force microscopy. This review covers the basic principles of the main super-resolution microscopy techniques in use today and explains how their specific strengths can illuminate the nanoscale mechanisms that govern rain physiology.
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Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests.