title: In vivo calcium imaging of the aging and diseased brain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Over the last decade, in vivo calcium imaging became a powerful tool for studying brain function. With the use of two-photon microscopy and modern labelling techniques, it allows functional studies of individual living cells, their processes and their interactions within neuronal networks. In vivo calcium imaging is even more important for studying the aged brain, which is hard to investigate in situ due to the fragility of neuronal tissue.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this article, we give a brief overview of the techniques applicable to image aged rodent brain at cellular resolution.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We use multicolor imaging to visualize specific cell types (neurons, astrocytes, microglia) as well as the autofluorescence of the "aging pigment" lipofuscin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further, we illustrate an approach for simultaneous imaging of cortical cells and senile plaques in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience, Technical University of Munich, Biedersteinerstrasse 29, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Eichhoff
authors.forename: Marc Aurel
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Busche
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Garaschuk
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D003704:Dementia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D036641:Microscopy, Fluorescence, Multiphoton / Q000379:methods*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium