Brain Made Transparent May Lead to Clearer Understanding

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Scientists have developed a technique to make brains transparent, enabling them to see vast networks of neurons and structures for a big picture view of the organ that’s mostly studied in slices.

In a report published today in the journal Nature, researchers at Stanford University described the method that replaced fats in the brain of mice with a gel that made the organ transparent. The scientists were able to make images of the brain’s structures and see down to the cells and molecules, according to the paper.