Embryonic brain architecture

Kent Ridge, Singapore -- Michael Hendricks of National University of Singapore's Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory captured this image as part of his graduate thesis research looking at how accurate connections are made in the brain. It shows some of the anatomy of a three-day-old embryonic zebrafish brain. The blue portion shows axonal connections between neurons and reveals the overall brain architecture. The red portion is a specific signaling molecule within a subset of neurons. His goal in creating this image was to show the brain structures at the finest level of detail possible.

Hendricks is studying how the signaling molecule contributes to the ability of axons to locate their correct targets in the brain during development. His work utilized a laser scanning confocal microscope. The image took second place in Nikon's most recent Small World image competition.