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Updated: Feb 6, 2026

Using Synchrotron Radiation Microtomography to Investigate Multi-scale Three-dimensional Microelectronic Packages
Published on: April 13, 2016
High-resolution synchrotron-based X-ray microtomography as a tool to unveil the three-dimensional neuronal
Matheus de Castro Fonseca1, Bruno Henrique Silva Araujo2, Carlos Sato Baraldi Dias3
1Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Zip Code 13083-970, Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil. matheus.fonseca@lnbio.cnpem.br.
Abstract:
The assessment of neuronal number, spatial organization and connectivity is fundamental for a complete understanding of brain function. However, the evaluation of the three-dimensional (3D) brain cytoarchitecture at cellular resolution persists as a great challenge in the field of neuroscience. In this context, X-ray microtomography has shown to be a valuable non-destructive tool for imaging a broad range of samples, from dense materials to soft biological specimens, arisen as a new method for deciphering the cytoarchitecture and connectivity of the brain. In this work we present a method for imaging whole neurons in the brain, combining synchrotron-based X-ray microtomography with the Golgi-Cox mercury-based impregnation protocol. In contrast to optical 3D techniques, the approach shown here does neither require tissue slicing or clearing, and allows the investigation of several cells within a 3D region of the brain.
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