Nanoscopy of visual cortex plasticity (B07*)

• Subject Area: Molecular Biology and Physiology of Neurons and Glial Cells ; Cognitive, Systems and Behavioural Neurobiology
• Term: from 2015 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 154113120

Synapses are the most basic functional unit in the brain. For excitatory synapses, which are mainly formed on small dendritic protrusions, the dendritic spines, changes in synaptic transmission correlate with changes in spine morphology. Due to the minute size of dendritic spines fine morphological details cannot be visualized with conventional light microscopy. We will use STED microscopy, a novel light microscopy technique with sub-diffraction limited resolution, to image morphological changes of spines and actin cytoskeleton in the visual cortex of living mice. We will evoke activity-dependent changes by dark exposure and explore spine plasticity.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 889: Cellular Mechanisms of Sensory Processing
• Applicant Institution: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
• Project Head: Dr. Katrin Willig