Confocal quality imaging of afferent neurons from semi-thin sections of Drosophila ganglia

The aim of this study was to develop protocols for computer imaging of the thoraco-abdominal ganglion of Drosophila from serial semi-thin sections, in which specific neurons were stained and related to neuropilar structures. The central projections of a subset of transgenically labelled sensory neur ons were revealed by immunohistochemistry, while Nomarski optics were used to show motor neuron targets in the neuropil. Digital photomicrographs of e ach section were aligned and the resultant image stacks rendered into three -dimensional (3D) images that can be rotated in realtime. The result is a d etailed, in-depth visualization of labelled neurons at a resolution compara ble with that in confocal reconstructions, which also allows investigation of their relationships with other components of the neuropil. (C) 2000 Else vier Science Ireland Ltd. Ail rights reserved.