Experimental procedures Flashcards
What does optogenetics allow us to do
Allows us to activate one type of synapse at once
What is the process of optigenetics
Genetics methods induce one type of neurons to express light-sensitive proteins, then brief flashes of light are used to stimulate these neurons, so any transmitters released can be causally linked back to these synapses
What does immunohistochemistry use to locate molecules within cells
Labelled antibodies
How does immunohistochemistry work
A neurotransmitter candidate is injected, and the antibodies produced by the immune response are isolated and tagged- these antibodies are applied to sections of brain tissue, and label only those cells containing the neurotransmitter candidate
What can immunohistorchemistry be used to demonstrate
That the transmitter candidate and its synthesising enzyme are contained in, and thus the molecule is synthesied in, one neuron
What can in situ hybridisation show
That a call synthesises a particular protein
How does in situ hybridisation work
A synthesic radioactively labelled probe with a sequence of complementary nucleic acods to mRNA binds to mRNA- the location of the mRNA can then be seen with autoradiography, or by labelling the probes with fluorescent molecules for direct viewing (FISH, fluorescent in situ hybridisation)
