Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a leading tool for imaging, measuring, and manipulating materials with atomic resolution - on the order of fractions of a nanometer. Researchers have extensively modified the AFM system for imaging eukaryotic cells and neurons with high spatial and temporal resolution. This new system allows for analysis of cell morphology changes with a spatial resolution ~20-100 fold better than that of a standard light microscope.

In their study they were able to demonstrate the capability to track structural dynamics and remodeling of the cell surface, such as morphogenesis of filopodia, membrane ruffles, pit formation or endocytosis, in response to environmental stimulants.

According to Dr. Yasuda, neuroscientist and scientific director at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, the successful observations of structural dynamics in live neurons present the possibility of visualizing the morphology of synapses at nanometer resolution in real time in the near future. Since morphology changes of synapses underlie synaptic plasticity and our learning and memory, this will provide us with many new insights into mechanisms of how neurons store information in their morphology, how it changes synaptic strength and ultimately how it creates new memory.

The researchers have published their development in the Open access journal Scientific Reports.

Shibata, M., Uchihashi, T., Ando, T. & Yasuda, R. (2015): Long-tip high-speed atomic force microscopy for nanometer-scale imaging in live cells. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS 5: 8724, DOI: 10.1038/srep08724.

Source:
http://www.maxplanckflorida.org/news-and-media/news/scientists-optimize-high-speed-atomic-force-microscopy-for-imaging-neurons-in-nanoscale-resolution/