Gdowski G T, Eldred W D, Voigt H F
J Neurosci Methods. 1987 Jul;20(3):249-60. doi: 10.1016/0165-0270(87)90057-4.
The use of computerized techniques to characterize quantitatively the anatomy of individual neurons has been increasing. One difficulty has been the quantification of the z-axis or depth measurements within thick light microscopic sections. In the present report we describe a simple device which employs an incremental optical encoder to transduce the movements of the focusing knob of the microscope so that depth information can be recorded directly by a computer. A resolution of 0.13 micron over a range of approximately 8.5 cm is achieved. The mechanical interface to the microscope is simple and applicable to a wide variety of microscopes. Interfacing circuits which allow the optical encoder to be used with an IBM-PC compatible computer are presented and described. The accuracy of the depth measurements is limited only by the mechanical tolerances of the focusing mechanism and by the optics of the microscope.
利用计算机技术对单个神经元的解剖结构进行定量表征的应用一直在增加。一个难题是在厚光学显微镜切片中对z轴或深度测量进行量化。在本报告中，我们描述了一种简单的装置，它采用增量式光学编码器来转换显微镜聚焦旋钮的运动，以便深度信息能够直接由计算机记录。在大约8.5厘米的范围内实现了0.13微米的分辨率。与显微镜的机械接口简单，适用于多种显微镜。还介绍并描述了使光学编码器能够与IBM-PC兼容计算机一起使用的接口电路。深度测量的精度仅受聚焦机构的机械公差和显微镜光学系统的限制。
