What we can see inside our brain cells with super-resolution microscopy

A Grey Matter

QBI researcher Professor Frederic Meunier is passionate about using highly innovative technology to discover how our brain cells communicate. His lab uses advanced nanoscale imaging (super-resolution microscopy) to observe single molecules in living neurons as they perform their function. In collaboration with mathematicians, the Meunier lab is analysing how small mutations can affect the nanoscale dynamics of single proteins and their function to help us understand the origins of brain disorders and diseases.

In this conversation, Fred traverses far-ranging topics, including:

• Our brain’s chaotic inner cellular environment
• How imaging technology is evolving to accelerate discoveries
• Why video games led to a new spatiotemporal data analysis approach
• What Botox can teach us about the function of the synapse between two brain cells
• Why pharmaceutical companies are starting to invest in single molecule imaging