I can see what you’re thinking: solution makes mouse scalp transparent

Original story from Stanford University (CA, USA). A novel reversible, noninvasive technique to observe neuron formation and firing in juvenile mice has been developed. During childhood and adolescence, our brain goes through a lot of changes. But studying those changes in juvenile mice is challenging because scientists don’t have a way to repeatedly image the same animal’s neural pathways as they grow. Now, by simply rubbing a solution into a juvenile mouse’s scalp, researchers at Stanford (CA, USA) can make the skin transparent to all visible light, allowing them to image the developing connections in a living mouse’s brain. And because the technique is reversible and non-invasive, the researchers can return to the same animal over days and weeks. The work creates new opportunities for research on the developing brain that could improve our understanding of neurodevelopmental disorders and lead to new interventions. “This opens a literal window to peek into the brain’s development,” commented Guosong Hong, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering and senior author on the paper. “Not only can we image the structures of these neurons, but we can also image the neural activity over time in an animal model. In the future, this approach could enable us to look at how these circuits form during the development of an animal.” SNAP to attention: the protein discerning sour flavor Researchers have revealed a lynchpin of the mechanism behind sour taste.