New photoacoustic probes enable deep brain tissue imaging

Neuroscientists have sought to better understand brain function but lacked the capability to observe neuronal activity deep within the brain. Scientists have applied rational molecular engineering to develop photoacoustic probes that can be used deep within brain tissue to label and visualize neurons. This imaging approach expands significantly on what neuroscientists have been able to see with conventional light microscopy, offering the potential to report on deep neuron activity and better understand brain function.