Arenkiel Benjamin R, Ehlers Michael D
Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3209, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA.
Nature. 2009 Oct 15;461(7266):900-7. doi: 10.1038/nature08536.
Brain function emerges from the morphologies, spatial organization and patterns of connectivity established between diverse sets of neurons. Historically, the notion that neuronal structure predicts function stemmed from classic histological staining and neuronal tracing methods. Recent advances in molecular genetics and imaging technologies have begun to reveal previously unattainable details about patterns of functional circuit connectivity and the subcellular organization of synapses in the living brain. This sophisticated molecular and genetic 'toolbox', coupled with new methods in optical and electron microscopy, provides an expanding array of techniques for probing neural anatomy and function.
脑功能源自不同神经元组之间建立的形态、空间组织和连接模式。从历史上看,神经元结构预测功能这一概念源于经典的组织学染色和神经元追踪方法。分子遗传学和成像技术的最新进展已开始揭示有关活脑功能回路连接模式和突触亚细胞组织的一些此前无法获得的细节。这个精密的分子和遗传“工具箱”,再加上光学和电子显微镜的新方法,为探究神经解剖学和功能提供了越来越多的技术手段。