Watching millions of neurons in the brain interacting with each other – for a long time this was possible only to a limited extent. The current techniques can visualize only superficial layers or the imaging they use is too slow. But now, Prof Daniel Razansky and his team have found a new method to visualize the brain activity – by using optoacoustics.
In this interview with MEDICA-tradefair.com he explains how this new method works and what to expect in the future.
Prof. Razansky, with your new method it is possible to observe the activation of large neural circuits in real time and in three dimensions. What do you need these kinds of observations for?
Prof. Daniel Razansky: The brain is currently the least understood organ in our body. We do have a reasonable knowledge of the heart or liver function, but little is known about how the activity of individual neurons is linked to high-level brain functionalities, such as cognition, senses and memory. This is mainly because living brain is difficult to interrogate non-invasively without disrupting its viability or function. We invented a new imaging method that makes it possible to watch how millions of neurons interact with each other in the entire intact brain. ...
Read the complete interview with Prof. Daniel Razansky at MEDICA-tradefair.com!