title: Comparison of intravital thinned skull and cranial window approaches to study CNS immunobiology in the mouse cortex.
abstract: Fluorescent imaging coupled with high-resolution femto-second pulsed infrared lasers allows for interrogation of cellular interactions deeper in living tissues than ever imagined. Intra-vital imaging of the central nervous system (CNS) has provided insights into neuronal development, synaptic transmission, and even immune interactions. In this review we will discuss the two most common intravital approaches for studying the cerebral cortex in the live mouse brain for pre-clinical studies, the thinned skull and cranial window techniques, and focus on the advantages and drawbacks of each approach. In addition, we will discuss the use of neuronal physiologic parameters as determinants of successful surgical and imaging preparation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology; Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine; Cleveland, Ohio USA.
authors.forename: R Dixon
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Dorand
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering; Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine; Cleveland, Ohio USA.
authors.forename: Deborah S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Barkauskas
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences; Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine; Cleveland, Ohio USA.
authors.forename: Teresa A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics; Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine; Cleveland, Ohio USA.
authors.forename: Agne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Petrosiute
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology; Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine; Cleveland, Ohio USA ; Department of Biomedical Engineering; Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine; Cleveland, Ohio USA ; Department of Pediatrics; Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine; Cleveland, Ohio USA.
authors.forename: Alex Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Huang
keywords: CNS imaging; Thinned skull; cranial window; intravital microscopy; microglia; two-photon