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Watching the Biology of Brain Swelling in Real Time
Ultrahigh resolution images reveal biochemical secrets
Article via LabRoots
The human skull is about a quarter of an inch of solid bone, perfectly suited to perform its role as the protector of one of the most sensitive organs of the body, the brain. In the event of brain swelling (clinically referred to as cerebral oedema), an excess of fluid floods brain tissues and spikes the pressure within the skull. This in turn results in a life-threatening condition in which delicate brain tissue compresses, triggering anything from headaches and nausea to seizures and coma.
An innovative new brain imaging technology developed by German researchers could soon empower neurologists with the ability to “see” the most subtle of physiological changes occurring in a patient’s head during cerebral oedema. The method, termed “rapidFLIM” or Fluorescence Lifetime IMaging offers a significant step up from traditional methods to visualize cerebral oedema for diagnostic purposes: it’s extremely sensitive, delivering ultrahigh resolution images of the cellular processes happening in the brain in real time.
“Using rapidFLIM we can show that a breakdown in cellular energy supply — one of the principal side effects of a stroke — results in nerve cells quickly becoming charged with sodium ions,” explained…
