Array Tomography

Talk Overview

Array tomography was developed in the Smith laboratory for neuroscience research. In this lecture, Smith talks mainly about the fluorescent microscopy forms of array tomography.

Questions

In array tomography, the embedding step is modified compared to electron microscopy. Explain how.
In array tomography, the sectioning step is key to the success of the technique. What is the product of the sectioning step?
Comparing confocal microscopy to array tomography, which of the following statement(s) is true (select all that apply)?
1. Confocal microscopy provides better isotropic resolution than array tomography
2. Array tomography has uniform resolution regardless of the depth of the specimen
3. Confocal microscopy provides better resolution on the z axis
4. Confocal microscopy can be used to image live samples, whereas array tomography cannot
5. None of the above
Imagine you are planning an experiment involving imaging of the mouse cortex using in array tomography. Because you do not have access to an ultramicrotome, you are considering using a regular microtome, which would result in much thicker sections than an ultramicrotome. Using thicker sections in array tomography may… (select true statements):
1. Impair the diffusion of antibodies inside the tissue
2. Reduce background signal
3. Decrease spherical distortions
4. Result in lower isotropic resolution
5. None of the above

Answers

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Speaker Bio

Stephen Smith

Dr. Smith is a Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine where his lab pioneers new methods to map connections in the brain. Smith and his co-workers developed array tomography, a high throughput imaging method that allows visualization of the molecular architecture of the brain. Continue Reading