Stanford scientists have developed a system for observing
real-time brain activity in a live mouse. The device could prove useful in
studying new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's.
If you want to read a mouse's mind, it takes some
fluorescent protein and a tiny microscope implanted in the rodent's head.
Stanford scientists have demonstrated a technique for
observing hundreds of neurons firing in the brain of a live mouse, in real
time, and have linked that activity to long-term information storage. The
unprecedented work could provide a useful tool for studying new therapies for
neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.