Advanced Spinal Cord Labelling Techniques: Visualizing Neural Pathways And Manipulating Neural Activity
Spinal cord labelling techniques enable the visualization and manipulation of neural pathways to elucidate spinal cord function. Methods like retrograde labelling trace afferent connections, while anterograde labelling maps efferent projections. Viral transduction and optogenetics provide genetic and optical control of neural activity. Immunohistochemistry and calcium imaging facilitate protein visualization and real-time monitoring of neural firing, respectively. Electrophysiology allows electrical stimulation and recording to study spinal cord circuits. These techniques have wide applications in neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and neurological research.