See-through brains

Scientists have come up with a way to make whole brains transparent, so they can be labelled with molecular markers and imaged using a light microscope. The technique, called CLARITY, enabled its creators to produce the detailed 3D visualisations you see in this video. It works in mouse brains and human brains; here the team use it to look into the brain of a 7-year-old boy who had autism.
Original research paper: dx.doi.org/10.1...
Nature News story: www.nature.com/...
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[@pbonez25]

The lipids are removed with using a solution of a hydrogel monomer and formaldehyde solution as the first step. Heat is then added to the mix so that the hydrogel monomers are able to polymerize therefore keeping the integrity of the structure to the brain. Then, SDS (sodium dodecyl sulfate) is added to break the lipids apart and remove them from the brain. ETC (Electrophoretic Tissue Clearing) is then used t separate the lipids from the rest of the tissue based on charge/mass.

[@bomchoi2536]

Paul B Why are the neurons projected green? Arent they supposed to be transparent as well??

[@TheClakki]

@@bomchoi2536 perhaps it’s because, to make them visible (soma and axon), they used specific radioactive tracer techniques (in this case the color of the substance used was green), I suppose.

[@bomchoi2536]

@@TheClakki oh thanks!! Are you studying this field?? I forgot about this comment!

[@TheClakki]

@@bomchoi2536 Yeah, in some way. I’m studying neuroscience and psychobiology, that’s why I know a little on this field and techniques.

[@Dragon-Slay3r]

Nice

[@sn0wb0arder17]

This is by far one of the coolest things science has accomplished!

[@davidschneider9938]

Amazing research. We are living in an exciting time.

[@sertanarkan7350]

Clarity deserves nobel prize in 2014

[@Muuip]

I agree.

[@iceman4382]

Agreed

[@alabelleetoile]

Thank you Karl Deisseroth for this huge leap in neuroscience!! You are simply a genius and everyone at the University of Toronto neuroscience program is going nuts about the new paper/video. CLARITY is breathtaking

[@Dragon-Slay3r]

Nice

[@ambidexter2017]

This is the sexiest thing I've ever seen on youtube.

[@ignisxiii6705]

Beautiful. Simply beautiful.

[@CHEESYhairyGASH]

We have the capacity to generate prescient ideas, we have the hypothesis, we have the theorems, but we don't have the means to test, observe or quantify many of them..... until now. Techniques like this allow us to blow apart ambiguity, expose fact and tap in to rich, glorious knowledge.

[@RaySVader]

I can see clearly now....the brain has gone ;0)

[@Muuip]

ok that was funny!

[@achimaufachse5925]

i love the reference...my wife is just rolling her eyes over my stupid humor...

[@shypsy4852]

Haha

[@309502854]

Definitely needed to see this in the middle of grueling exam week- reminds me that it's all gonna be worth it at the end :)

[@McPhysX]

what are you now?

[@Neverdweller]

this definitely shows a much more detailed look into the mystery of our own bodies.

[@Keylimecat87]

This is absolutely incredible.

[@bicciera21]

excellent. Some clearing agents have been going around these past years, but the clearing speed and resolution are superior. congratulations.

[@TheShockinglygood]

I don't understand why did three people dislike this?? please explain!! As for me I give it a "SUPERLIKE"

[@Muuip]

This is a great tool for research. Best visualization sofar, along with flash and freeze electron microscopy.

[@Lingerminator]

That was absolutely awesome and beautiful to watch. Well Done Ladies and Gentlemen. Well done.

[@grumblefig]

It is a see-through brain, watch again (at 1:33) for the mouse's brain that had been treated. All the fat had been removed and all that was left was grey matter suspended in hydrogel. You could actually look through to read the printed text on the sheet underneath the brain. The colourful graphics just illustrate the markers used to see the three dimensional structures of the brain.

[@selmarebello7620]

It's spectacular neuroscience. I am very fascinated!

[@RSmith-sy5sz]

This is stellar. I am 34, what we had 20 years ago to now is absolutely staggering. This is so amazing to be able to see the brain. How flipantly they just kind of point out "Oh this may be one of the major symptoms of Autism" is amazing. Imagine; for a second, where this will be when combined with other mapping and man/machine interfaces in say 20 years. I am just blown away at the casualness of these discoveries now. Wow. Just wow

[@flxDaCat]

wow, extremely impressive! one easily recognizes the frame and scale bar of the imaris software, rendering so fast and smoothly.

[@SukanyaMadanMohanmusicdiaries]

Thanks Hilda cerdeira:)

[@TrevWire]

My youngest son (4) has autism. It is my hope that science such as this will help us to one day better understand why autism develops, and perhaps how it can be avoided, or even shed light on how to help these individuals learn in their own unique ways to live independent lives.

[@danielteh1452]

Deisseroth has done it again! Kudos!

[@OperationPhantom]

I can see clearly now, the brain has "gone", it's gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day

[@onlyamylouise]

Absolutely amazing. Although It's a shame we can't get this sort of visualisation on brain tissue that is alive. Well maybe one day...

Inspiring and fascinating!

[@Tarxon]

This will get us to the next level for sure!

[@cyndominguez8550]

Best visualization of the brain I have seen!!!

[@andrewavalon]

Amazing work...The brain visualisation in this video were created using 'Imaris' software from Bitplane.

[@rebecavega-gonzalez717]

It is really amazing how we visualize the miracle of nature

[@TecByte5]

This is simply... Amazing!

[@adedotunadesokan4876]

I guess you could say... *puts on black sunglasses* They were reading his mind. YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

[@romanliru200]

If you can peer into my mind with that technology you'll never quit me

[@CHEESYhairyGASH]

"The brain is a world consisting of a number of unexplored continents and great stretches of unknown territory." Santiago Ramón y Cajal a.k.a. neuroscience legend/ bawse

[@AuSands1]

From what I've heard this can be accomplished on live subjects as well enabling them to see thoughts and brain activity as it happens.

[@MrBenIPresume]

AuSands1 Absolutely impossible on live subjects. This technique replaces the cell's membrane with a gel. Removal of the membrane completely destroys any chance for the cell's survival.

[@AuSands1]

Alyss Flynn Thanks!!!

[@onthelongestroad]

Fascinating! this makes me think of the work that's being done isolating the collagen structure of organs and re-growing tissues over them - they look similarly transparent in the 'scaffolding' stage. But this - I never dreamed this was possible! Truly amazing work.

[@JenKBlackburn]

If you can replace the fat with a different insulating but see-through material without disrupting connections... Highly unlikely. However, this technique used in conjunction with optogenetics (i.e. after optogenetics experiments performed, use clarity to acquire detailed map) has very exciting possibilities!

[@PengYong91]

I totally agree with you on the 'in vivo' issue. But I am also optimistic that the technique will drastically improve 10 years down the line.

[@santimezzano393]

did it?

[@VellianoRosso]

cool cool cool, can't wait to see this being used on other organs, and in combo with organ printing.

[@catapatata]

Increíble. Me encanta haber nacido en esta época.

[@gyogi1020]

So freaking Amazing! I had dreams that this would eventually happen. I just want to go back to school and focus on neuroscience.

[@yoshyoka]

This is beautyful! If it can be extended to living and operating organisms not only the structure but also the processing synapsis could be observed in the whole system.

[@pokeshmon]

Future implications for such a technology are grand.

[@captainjj7184]

HOLY COW! I mean, MOUSE! And I missed this by... 9 years?? How come all the newer brain videos don't show clarity such as this? (pun intended)

[@Tommm73]

Exciting result!

[@djancak]

This makes me happy

[@bassguitarp]

While it's not possible to do this in living tissues, what you can do is study the components of the organ, trying to understand "what went wrong" there. What the technique will do is revolutionize the way we study brain pathways related pathology

[@colleenwakefield]

it is awesome what this world is reaching in technology

[@Tsw33d]

If you're a college student then your library almost certainly has a subscription to Nature. Just ask your librarian how to access it, a portion of you tuition goes towards paying for such subscriptions. You probably can do it through your library website without even leaving your chair.

[@tiborsaas]

Mind blowing (literally)

[@dumbodum]

One step closer to understanding the human brain :)

[@danthemanzizle]

This is freakin nutz

[@LanceWinslow]

That's awesome imagery of the #humanbrain and a rat brain - impressive resolution, clarity, and quality. #BrainResearch .

[@twitchalmighty]

When I go, I might leave my brain so that scientists and doctors might be able to do the same thing with mine.

[@juanpablorivera4277]

this soundtrack is so lit I can't even pay attention

[@minddrs]

AMAZING!!! but still remain structure↔function correlation problems and emergent properties of the MIND...

[@scogrig]

This is a gamechanger.

[@wanderson3212]

This is fascinating, and exciting, this is science, and art, and that's why I love it so much. Thanks a lot for sharing this!

[@cristinasburlea3064]

Extraordinary!!!

[@unvergebeneid]

I don't know what to call this other than: Fucking. Amazing.

[@Veteran4Peace]

That was astonishing.

[@Saraskalyan]

I vote for your SUPERLIKE REALLY FANTASTIC

[@mabigs]

well done! amazing idea

[@nlamorte90]

So amazing.

[@masterbaiter5533]

So mapping the brain slice by slice was a waste of time? That's a relief.

[@Conqueror92_]

Fantastic!

[@PengYong91]

Hence the word 'potentially'!

[@luistamayo9051]

Amazing!

[@theprofessorfeather]

Absolutely amazing. E-brains here we come!

[@ErikVonStedingk]

That day will come, I'm sure. Today the systems that can generate images of a whole body cannot give you this level of detail. This is the best human technology can do right now. Second important step will be the computers: the scans shown are probably in the TB (1000 GB) range when being acquired: for this you already need the best computers and software available to create the images. For a whole body you might need computers that can handle a million times more data a million times faster!

[@davejames3151]

This reminds me of the book Invisible Man by H.G Wells. The idea is entertaining.

[@ischmitty]

how the sweet flying fuck can someone dislike this video? one of the most exciting videos i've seen in years! GO SCIENCE!

[@Tutankhamun18Reads]

AMAZING!!!!!

[@rutgervz]

Amazing. Hope they try the same with the heart

[@tasnimealkilany1990]

so if our cells didn't have membranes made of fat we would be transparent?

[@Mummele]

I'm waiting for such quality for living brain tissue! Awe-some!

[@RaduOleniuc]

Mind-blowing. :)

[@jsymons1985]

Can this be used to create a complete map of the human brain? Let's map all the connections and simulate it.

[@JaredJeyaretnam]

This isn't a see-through brain - this is how to see through a brain (using clever imaging techniques). Very different things.

[@PrateepAmon]

Brilliant!

[@Phoenix301]

Why not? This could be the way we figuring out what goes wrong in a brain, ...the missing piece to trace back and use diagnostic techniques to find out what to look for in the living. Imagine being able to literally look straight into a tumor (which could be removed from a living person), or a brain with Alzheimers. Non-invasive Computer imaging goes very far, in particular MRIs.. however the human eye or a high definition camera can see much clearer. This is just incredible...

[@MrVankog]

But looking at the structure is a first big step into discovering this issues. Some might not have structural causes, but we are only capable to tell, if we can rule it out by observation. Until now we had no chance to see it that way.

[@beelzebubblicious6]

Yes, definitely - it's very invasive. To image a living brain, one needs a scanner of some type, like an MRI or PET scanner. MRI has better resolution than PET, but neither has the type of resolution this technique can achieve.

[@pjhirsch]

Your college library. Most large public libraries will also have a subscription to Nature.

[@He2riKeZ]

Yes, Mitch, only on dead brains, but you can probably use this technique on other tissues too, you are not limited to the brain.

[@Kroos-mg7gh]

who else got goosebumps watching the brainstem like never before..?

[@metaphyzgirlSimpkiss]

WOW!

[@WeakSideIndulgence]

optogenetics works in vivo. This technique would not work in live animals. I think misconstrued the two.

[@SuperBommer1]

FANTASTIC Science rocks

[@pascalmorin8751]

Can't believe only 30 poeple recently had a paper rejected in Nature!

[@user-vt6iz5bt8f]

wonderful technology! I wonder how they manage to keep the structure of the brain and neural connections from destruction, incl. from decomposition And how well do you manage to keep the structure?

[@derezzed83]

While this looks really neat, most of the things mentioned in this video have been possible decades ago with simple histological smears.

[@naisanza]

I love science

[@EDUARDO12348]

am dizzy imagining all the sensory information that can quickly traverse through the brain.

[@JuanPabloMillan]

you can get the paper on the website of Karl Deisseroth one of the authors of Stanford University. I can not put here because youtube will not let me put Internet sites.

[@covicamu]

Wonderfull...!! ;)

[@rhon6464]

Pretty kewl,,,,,as long as it's used for good.

[@Daavisonfire]

It would be so sick :D

[@G0DFr33]

Hell yeah

[@mewwew411]

Observe brain structures of people who take psychedelics

[@rashheadX1496]

relies on surgery to extract the tissue and for manipulation. Basically post-mortem.