Modern slice culture for direct observation of production and migration of brain neurons.

For the understanding of histogenetic events in the three-dimensional brain primordia, direct observation of progenitor cells and young neurons is required. Although slice culture, which is one of the tissue or organ culture methods, effectively preserves the in vivo microenvironment where normal developmental processes occur, conventional phase-contrast microscopic observation of brain slices fails to provide good visibility of single cells. However, a combination of slice culture with the use of fluorescent dyes and/or the introduction of fluorescent protein genes provides live, three-dimensional information on cytogenetic and histogenetic events at the individual cell level. Dynamic cellular behaviors can then be vividly captured without destroying tissue structures.