<span>This is one transverse section of a wild type, or genetically "normal," rodent spinal cord I imaged at 16x magnification and presented in nine screens, à la Warhol. The spinal cord section was originally stained using a technique called 'Immunohistochemistry' to look for a subpopulation of neurons that express the neurotransmitter serotonin. I then used Photoshop to artificially color the sections and to hand draw the supporting cells as well as the many possible neural connections it's able to make.
The </span><span>intent of this piece is to show how incredibly important the use of colors are to neuroscientists. We use colors to identify and highlight important players involved in Central Nervous System physiology with the expressed purpose of finding out where these important players are, when and how they interact with themselves as well as other neurological elements in vivo. Using an array of colors bound to specific proteins, we can therefore begin to elucidate certain aspects of how our Central Nervous System works.</span>
