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Updated: Feb 13, 2026

Chronic Imaging of Mouse Visual Cortex Using a Thinned-skull Preparation
11:12

Chronic Imaging of Mouse Visual Cortex Using a Thinned-skull Preparation

Published on: October 25, 2010

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Intravital Imaging of Neuroimmune Interactions Through a Thinned Skull

Monica Manglani1,2, Dorian B McGavern1

  • 1Viral Immunology and Intravital Imaging Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.

Current Protocols in Immunology
|March 8, 2018
PubMed

Insights

This study details a method for creating thinned skull windows in mice, enabling high-resolution imaging of immune cells in the central nervous system (CNS). This technique allows for studying neurological disorders without causing inflammation or injury.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Immunology
  • Microscopy

Background:

  • Immune cell interactions in the central nervous system (CNS) and meninges are crucial for neural health and neurological diseases.
  • Two-photon laser scanning microscopy offers high-resolution, real-time imaging of immune cell dynamics within the living CNS.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present a protocol for creating thinned skull windows for optical access to the brain and meninges.
  • To demonstrate a method for inducing mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) using the thinned skull approach without causing CNS damage.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a minimally invasive thinned skull window technique.
  • Application of two-photon laser scanning microscopy for in vivo imaging.
  • Establishment of a reproducible mild TBI model via the thinned skull window.

Main Results:

  • Successful creation of thinned skull windows without inducing damage or inflammation in the underlying CNS tissue.
  • Demonstration of high-resolution imaging of immune cell dynamics in the living brain and meninges.
  • Establishment of a reproducible mild TBI model using the described optical access method.

Conclusions:

  • Thinned skull windows provide a valuable tool for non-invasive, high-resolution in vivo imaging of the CNS.
  • This protocol facilitates the study of neuro-immune interactions and neurological disorders, including TBI.

Keywords:
TBIintravital imagingneuroimmuneskull thinningtwo-photon

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