Scientists Look Inside Living Brain Using Lasers And Carbon Nanotubes
- 10 years ago
Many brain diseases are caused by an abnormal blood flow to the brain. Researchers at Stanford University, working with experts from Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital, have come up with a mostly noninvasive way to look at the blood circulation in a living brain.
Many brain diseases are caused by an abnormal blood flow to the brain.
Researchers have come up with a mostly noninvasive way to look at the blood circulation in a living brain.
The method uses lasers and carbon nanotubes to look inside the brains of lab mice.
Nanotubes are injected into the bloodstream and the lasers are used to look at how the nanotubes flow through the subject’s brain.
First author of the study Guosong Hong is quoted as saying: “We could also label different neuron types in the brain with bio-markers and use this to monitor how each neuron performs.”
Although researchers have only tested this method on mice in the lab, a slight variation on it could be used for humans in the near future.
This kind of technique could be used to help doctors get a better understanding of some medical conditions like migraines, strokes, and even Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Many brain diseases are caused by an abnormal blood flow to the brain.
Researchers have come up with a mostly noninvasive way to look at the blood circulation in a living brain.
The method uses lasers and carbon nanotubes to look inside the brains of lab mice.
Nanotubes are injected into the bloodstream and the lasers are used to look at how the nanotubes flow through the subject’s brain.
First author of the study Guosong Hong is quoted as saying: “We could also label different neuron types in the brain with bio-markers and use this to monitor how each neuron performs.”
Although researchers have only tested this method on mice in the lab, a slight variation on it could be used for humans in the near future.
This kind of technique could be used to help doctors get a better understanding of some medical conditions like migraines, strokes, and even Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.