The UT Health Science Center at Houston > Neuroscience Research Center > Resources > MultiPhoton Laser Scanning Microscopy (MPLSM)

MultiPhoton Laser Scanning Microscopy (MPLSM)

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... A microscopic research technique to visualize fluorescent molecules in living cells.

The Neuroscience Research Center makes active use of a MultiPhoton Laser Scanning Microscope (MPLSM), an instrument that represents the latest development in imaging technology.

Traditional microscopes use regular light, which can cause tissue samples to appear blurry. Confocal microscopes eliminate much of the blurriness by blocking out light emitted from structures not in focus, producing a sharper image. Living tissue specimens, however, can be damaged by confocal microscopy.

The multiphoton confocal microscope is superior to traditional and confocal microscopes, in that it uses infrared light to illuminate only a small dot of tissue at a time. Moreover, in living tissue, damage is minimized. Because the light beam penetrates deeply, a greater volume of tissue can be examined.