Description: Peering into the brain, and seeing the tiny wires that form within, one is struck by its beauty and organization. The golden sun-like network in this image represent bundles of axons of the cerebellar Purkinje neurons, which propagate motor information to the rest of the body. The axons converge together here, in preparation for the divergent path they will eventually undertake. Like the sun, the central branches are surrounded by radiating neurons of various types, guided and supported by the ‘gravity’ of the Purkinje cells. Together, the balanced organization of the cerebellar circuit fine-tunes our every movement, from speech to coordination. In an age of space exploration and of thinking BIG, small things are easily forgotten. That is, until you start zooming in, and see the beauty that is already within.

Why did you conduct this research? This research was conducted to study neuronal development using the cerebellar cortex as a model system.

Technique: Our lab uses microscopy techniques to study the cerebellar cortex, pictured here. The various cerebellar cell types and processes were labelled using genetic markers and imaged on a confocal microscope. The image was colorized to give it a ‘metallic’ touch.

Acknowledgements: Funding source: CIHR and NSERC. PhD Advisor: Dr. Julie Lefebvre