Microscopy

Recent articles

Optimized two-photon microscopy enables voltage imaging at multiple depths

The tool could reveal how information flows within and between cortical layers during neural processing.

By Simon Makin
11 August 2026 | 4 min read

A planetarium for the brain

Tyler Sloan’s new film, more than a decade in the making, takes viewers on an immersive journey.

By Emily Singer
27 July 2026 | 1 min watch
Adam Kampff.

Remembering Adam Kampff, neuroscience educator and researcher

Kampff’s do-it-yourself approach inspired a generation of neuroscientists.

By Lauren Schneider
24 December 2025 | 6 min read
Research image of a mouse brain with the same spot shown three times in different colors to show different neurochemical concentrations.

New dopamine sensor powers three-color imaging in live animals

The tool leverages a previously unused segment of the color spectrum to track the neurotransmitter and can be used with two additional sensors to monitor other neurochemicals at different wavelengths.

By Diana Kwon
25 July 2025 | 4 min read
Detailed image of neurons in the mouse visual cortex.

Inhibitory cells work in concert to orchestrate neuronal activity in mouse brain

A cubic millimeter of brain tissue, meticulously sectioned, stained and scrutinized over the past seven years, reveals in stunning detail the role of inhibitory interneurons in brain structure and function.

By Katie Moisse
9 April 2025 | 6 min read
Astrocytes in a mouse brain.

Unexpected astrocyte gene flips image of brain’s ‘stalwart sentinels’

The genetic marker upends the accepted orientation of non-star-like astrocytes in the glia limitans superficialis.

By Lauren Schenkman
28 March 2025 | 5 min read

New tissue-clearing techniques let microscopes peer deeper into living brains

Washing mouse brain tissue with a blood protein or complex sugar can illuminate cells 550 micrometers into the cortex without compromising its normal physiology.

By Calli McMurray
18 October 2024 | 0 min watch

Octopus arm anatomy, molecular makeup revealed in new maps

The datasets provide “a very nice reference” for future functional studies.

By Calli McMurray
25 September 2024 | 1 min watch
A dense reconstruction of layer 2/3 neurons of the mouse visual cortex containing 394 neurons and 3.2 million synapses.

To develop better nervous-system visualizations, we need to think BIG

With a full mouse connectome on the horizon, neuroscience needs to overcome its legacy of minimalism and embrace the contemporary challenge of representing whole-nervous-system connectivity.

By Tyler Sloan
8 July 2024 | 8 min read
Image of neural activity in a mouse as seen through the Miniscope.

Designing an open-source microscope

Funding for the development of open-source tools is on the rise, but support for their maintenance and dissemination, both crucial for their meaningful uptake, remains a major challenge.

By Daniel Aharoni
17 June 2024 | 6 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Brainstem neurons add new element to ‘already complex’ anxiety circuitry

Precise optogenetic modulation of a medullary neuron population reveals their role in anxiety-like behaviors.

By Sarah Thau
19 August 2026 | 0 min watch
Illustration of an open journal featuring lines of text and small illustrations of eyes and mouths.

Links between tuberous sclerosis complex and autism, and more

Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 17 August.

By Jill Adams
18 August 2026 | 1 min read