Mouse spinal cord section grown in an organotypic slice culture system

Whole sections of mouse spinal cord were grown in an organotypic slice culture system to study the interactions between nerve impulse-conducting axons (stained for neurofilament protein, in green) and glial cells referred to as astrocytes (stained for glial fibrillary acidic protein, in red). Cells were visualized using confocal fluorescence microscopy. Cell nuclei were stained blue with 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole. (Picture by Hye-Sook (Hyesook)Yoon, Ph.D., research fellow, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.)