title: Basic confocal microscopy.
abstract: Confocal microscopy produces sharp images of structures within relatively thick specimens (up to several hundred microns). It is particularly useful for examining fluorescent specimens. This overview intended to provide background and practical tips needed to get started with confocal microscopy. It begins with a description of the basis of optical sectioning, then discusses various types of confocal microscopes, and concludes with practical guidelines for sample preparation and optimizing image acquisition parameters.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000032:analysis; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D009474:Neurons / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology; D055095:Optics and Photonics / Q000295:instrumentation
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes