Great news! We are happy to announce that after opening, unpacking and assembling many boxes, the Nikon A1R confocal microscope is working great and providing the lab with gorgeous pictures of neurons. This laser-scanning microscope allows us to serially image thin, optical sections which can be stacked and constructed into a three-dimensional representation at high resolution; a very effective tool in advancing our research. Also, it’s really fast–that means that we can put sensors in cells (e.g., calcium sensors, voltage sensors, you name it) and watch their activity in real time at high resolution.

Live imaging of slice cultures using the spectral detection to do FRET, courtesy of Zak Wills.

Coming soon, we will use the ultra-fast confocal to do calcium imaging of optogenetically modified spinal neurons.

To learn more about confocal microscopy, visit:
Fundamental Concepts in Confocal Microscopy
Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) Microscopy
Nikon Confocal Microscopy Image Gallery