Neuroslicer | Dendritic spine activity in the auditory cortex @Neuroslicer | Uploaded 15 years ago | Updated 1 hour ago
This is a small dendritic branch from a Layer 3 neuron in the mouse auditory cortex. The neuron has been filled with a red fluorescent dye (Alexa 594), which is why it appears red on the video. It has also been filled with a calcium sensitive green fluorescent dye (Fluo 5F). When neurons from the thalamus are stimulated (during the yellow dot on the video), you will see that one of the dendritic spines (shown by the arrow) glows green, showing that it is being activated by thalamic stimulation. Using this mapping technique, we now know that thalamic neurons synapse very close to the cell body of these auditory neurons, helping to guarantee that they reliably receive sound information from the environment.
This is a small dendritic branch from a Layer 3 neuron in the mouse auditory cortex. The neuron has been filled with a red fluorescent dye (Alexa 594), which is why it appears red on the video. It has also been filled with a calcium sensitive green fluorescent dye (Fluo 5F). When neurons from the thalamus are stimulated (during the yellow dot on the video), you will see that one of the dendritic spines (shown by the arrow) glows green, showing that it is being activated by thalamic stimulation. Using this mapping technique, we now know that thalamic neurons synapse very close to the cell body of these auditory neurons, helping to guarantee that they reliably receive sound information from the environment.
