Neuroscience: A Journey Through the Brain
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The Neuron: Basic Unit of Function

To study the structure of brain cells, scientists have had to overcome several obstacles:

1. Small size: Most cells range from 0.01 to 0.05 mm in diameter
2. Slicing: In order to view cells under a microscope, the ideal thickness of a brain slice is the thickness of the cells themselves. The tissue is not firm enough to make such slices. Early in the 1800's, scientists discovered that formaldehyde could be used to harden (or "fix") the tissue without damaging it, and a device called a microtome was developed to make thin slices.
3. Pigmentation: Freshly prepared brain tissue is uniform in colour, and it was difficult to resolve individual cells. The final breakthrough in this field called Histology was the development of staining procedures that selectively colour some, but not all, part of the neurons. 

Methods of study include:

• Whole cell recording

• Patch-clamping

Created and Maintained by: Melissa Davies
Last Updated: April 10, 2002 08:57 AM