Birds and mammals hear binaurally, hearing sounds through two ears. Binaural hearing allows them to determine which direction a sound came from—a pivotal element of survival. Doctors Armin H. Seidl, Edwin W. Rubel, and David M. Harris of Seattle’s Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center at the University of Washington recently published a study in the Journal of Neuroscience that may encourage scientists to think in...
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Thousands of people in the United States have spinal cord injuries (SCIs), with associated loss of movement and sensation below the site of the injury. Neural and glial cell transplants into research animals after SCI have correlated with recovery of function. The improvement may be caused by the transplanted cells; it’s thought that remyelination by the transplanted glial cells is the main reason for the...
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Neurolucida is used for reconstruction and morphometric analysis of neurons and anatomical regions of interest. Neurolucida can also be used for quantitative and qualitative analysis of dendritic spines. Spines are small, often bulbous protrusions that emerge from the dendritic shaft. They are the main site of excitatory synapses in the brain [1], and they range in length from 0.001 to 1mm and range in diameter...
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We continue to take an active role in assisting researchers become proficient in design-based stereology with this publication. It is intended to introduce the methodology to scientists who are interested in, but not familiar with, its application in neuroscience and other biomedical research fields. A concise, accessible book, this text is an excellent first resource for scientists. Available at amazon.com or by contacting MBF Bioscience. ...
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Stereo Investigator Pulmonary Edition, our latest stereology software solution, is designed specifically to assist pulmonary researchers with quantitative stereological analysis. Stereo Investigator Pulmonary Edition introduces the Connectivity Assay. Using live video superimposed over captured images, pulmonary researchers can quickly mark bridges and islands. "Whether you’re counting alveoli or quantifying cells, lengths, or volumes, Stereo Investigator Pulmonary Edition’s intuitive workflow technology simplifies stereology," said MBF Bioscience President...
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Stereology allows us to estimate the amount and size of biological features that are impossible or prohibitive to measure exhaustively. If the stereological probe is designed well, and we can manage to follow all the rules, bias due to sampling design and estimation methods will be eliminated, resulting in a more accurate estimate. For instance, when using the Optical Fractionator to estimate the number of cells...
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