Anatomical Science International - Call for Papers: Neuroanatomy Across Scales: Methods for Investigating the Structural Basis of Brain Functions from Nano- to Macro-scales
Submission deadline: March 31st, 2025
The brain is an extremely complex organ composed of billions of heterogenous neurons which are connected by trillions of synapses in a highly organized manner, forming local and global networks within the brain. This hierarchical structure across different anatomical scales and consisting of synapses, neurons, networks, and regions not only underlies behavioral and cognitive functions in the brain, but also supports neural network-mediated algorithms used in artificial intelligence. Thus, unraveling complex brain structures across nano-to-macroscale levels is essential to understanding brain functions and advancing multidisciplinary research fields.
Since Golgi and Cajal first visualized whole single neurons in intermingled brain tissues in the late 19th century, a variety of neuroanatomical techniques have been developed to tackle the complexity of brain structures at nano-to-macroscale levels. However, the brain’s structure in its entirety – including its hierarchy, heterogeneity, and volume – still remains to be elucidated due to technical limitations of brain imaging such as the small field of view and narrow range of spatial resolutions. Like investigating individual trees in a vast forest, novel approaches for the simultaneous imaging of both nanoscale synapses and mesoscale neuronal circuits, or even macroscale brain regions, are required for a comprehensive understanding of brain structures.
To strengthen such a “tree-to-forest” approach, we are preparing a special issue on classical and cutting-edge neuroanatomical methods that can be applied to reveal the complexity of brain structures across the synaptic, neuronal, network, and regional levels. These methods cover single-cell or global labeling of neurons or their biomolecules, high-resolution imaging at nano-to-macroscale levels, and analytical pipelines for the resulting images. The issue will also include basic morphological technologies which are potentially applicable to innovative strategies for multiscale imaging. As a whole, this special issue will offer readers an experimental handbook, promoting new breakthroughs to arrive at a better understanding of brain structures.
<topics>
●Single-cell labeling techniques
●Advanced fixation techniques for high-sensitivity molecular imaging
●Advanced imaging techniques (super-resolution, two-photon, magnetic resonance imaging)
●Volume electron microscopy (data acquisition and analysis)
Editor
Sén Takeda, MD, PhD (Teikyo University)
Guest Editors
Motokazu Uchigashima, MD, PhD (Niigata University)
Hiroyuki Hioki, MD, PhD (Juntendo University)
Kathleen Rockland, PhD (Boston University)
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How to submit
You can submit your article via Editorial Manager or by clicking the Submit manuscript button on the homepage of Anatomical Science International. During submission you will be asked if your manuscript is part of a special issue. Please select: “Neuroanatomy Across Scales.” If you have any questions, please use the ‘CONTACT US’ button in the top menu.