Transparent brains allow for easier study of neural structure

Nature : Certain chemical treatments can make organs transparent by removing lipids from them. But applying those treatments to brains also removes proteins necessary for understanding the brain’s structure. Now, Karl Deisseroth of Stanford University and his colleagues have developed a technique that reduces the protein loss from 41% to just 8%. They first infuse the brain with acrylamide to bind proteins, nucleic acids, and other biomolecules and then heat the brain to create a brainâhydrogel hybrid structure. By testing on mouse brains, they were able to view fluorescently tagged neurons throughout the brain. Deisseroth and his team are currently working to render an entire human brain transparent, but they have already treated sections of human brains that allowed them to trace individual nerve fibers. Further study should help determine whether the lipid removal might also effect the structure of other materials. The new technique could make way for development of a library of brain structure that would allow researchers to compare healthy brains with aged brains and the brains of people with mental disorders.