AI Surpasses Neuroscientists in Spotting Neurons

Ever wonder how neuroscientists are able to monitor and study what happens inside a living brain in action? One of the challenges in neuroscience is observing the activity of neurons intact in brain tissue that is taking place in a living organism--in vivo. One approach, two-photon calcium imaging, is a method developed circa 1990. In mammalian neurons, calcium is an intracellular messenger. This imaging approach involves the loading of calcium ions (Ca2) indicator dyes in the desired brain region for neuronal monitoring and a two-photon laser scanning microscope for visualization.