In situ microtomy and serial block face imaging by SEM
The ability to view objects, including subcellular structures, in three-dimensions is crucial to understanding their form and function. For example, the three-dimensional (3-D) structure of the brain and its neurons has been the central focus of neuroanatomists for well over 100 years. Yet, what role a nerve cell’s three dimensional structure plays in controlling the flow of information within the nervous system remains a mystery. Part of the problem has been the difficulty in obtaining an accurate 3-D picture of a nerve cell’s shape as well as documenting its synaptic interconnections. Although many neurobiologists have turned to biochemical studies in recent years, it is becoming clear that precise structure and network diagrams will be necessary to relate the work of cell biologists with that of computational neuroscientists.