Using Microscopy to Look Inside the Brain in Action

The brain is the control center for all our thoughts and actions. Have you ever wondered exactly how your brain works as you run, jump, and play? To look inside the working brain, scientists use a combination of high-tech microscopes, lasers, and genetic engineering, which allows them to directly see the cells within the brain—called neurons. Scientists can make neurons glow when those cells become active, which tells scientists the neurons are passing information to each other in large networks. In this way, neurons take in information from the environment and use it to plan your next move. We will discuss the biology, physics, and virtual tools that scientists are using to directly examine the activity of neurons in the brains of mice. The findings from these experiments help scientists understand how neurons work together, how they help us learn and remember, and what goes wrong in disorders that affect the brain.