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Written By: Agencies | Updated : June 23, 2014 9:45 AM IST
A study that appeared in the journal Nature Protocols mentioned a new technique called CLARITY, developed by scientists at Stanford University in the US. According to the scientists, this technique could make the brain appear see-through and reveal its intricate wiring inside. It will unravel the inner connections of how thoughts, memories or diseases arise. (Read: Now, a new technology for 3D imaging of brain tumors)
Scientists improvised the earlier technique into 'passive CLARITY' technique by pulling out the fats in a brain by using chemicals and a warm bath. The new method takes a little longer than the original one, but is much easier to operate and removes all the fat without damaging the tissue, researchers claimed.
'There have been a number of remarkable results described using CLARITY,' said Karl Deisseroth, a professor at Stanford University. Using this technique, Deisseroth and his colleagues imaged the neurological wiring in a mouse's brain. The new 'CLARITY' technique works by removing this fatty covering, which makes the brain appear see-through and reveals its intricate wiring. (Read: 13 milliseconds The time it takes for your brain to process an image)
Normally, when the brain is seen through a microscope, it appears opaque, because of the fatty material that shrouds nerve cells and acts like the insulation on electrical wires. Not many labs were set up to use the so-called 'CLARITY' technique reliably, and the most common microscopy methods were not designed to image an entire transparent brain. Passive CLARITY requires nothing more than some chemicals, a warm bath and time. (Read: A paediatric brain data bank will help in better diagnosis of psychiatric disorders)
Source: IANS
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