A CARV II confocal imager from Image Solutions (UK) is helping scientists at Royal Holloway, University of London to understand how memory functions at the molecular level.
For several years, Dr Pavlos Alifragis and his team at the university's School of Biological Sciences have been investigating the molecular mechanisms responsible for generating different types of neurons within the cerebral cortex. Recently, Dr Alifragis's work has expanded to include the dynamics of how neuronal synapses function. "To find details about the chemical and signalling events at neuronal synapses you need to be able to visualise them in fixed as well as live neurons. Hence the need for a high-quality imaging system," said Dr Alifragis.
www.imsol.co.uk