The Imaging Unit

The Imaging Unit provides expertise in macro- and microscopic visualization methods and allows access to imaging equipment for all Neuroscience Center groups through collaboration. The Unit operates four imaging setups: two fluorescence microscopes for live cell imaging and Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy (Olympus and Zeiss), one macroscopic imaging setup for Intrinsic Optical Signal (IOS) detection of cortical activity through intact rodent skull or cranial window (Optical Imaging Inc.), and one in vivo two-photon microscopy setup for longitudinal morpho-functional analysis of brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves in anesthetized rodents (Olympus). The expertise available through the Imaging Unit includes cell cultivation and transfection, time-lapse functional and morphological imaging, gene delivery by in vivo electroporation and customized viral vectors, rodent surgery for cranial window implantation or topical stereotactic injections, and 3D and 4D image analysis.