X-ray microscopy for neuroscience: Novel opportunities by coherent optics

Abstract

X-ray microscopy and tomography can provide the three-dimensional density distribution within cells and tissues without staining and slicing. In addition, chemical information - i.e. the elemental distribution - can be retrieved by X-ray spectro-microscopy based on contrast variation around photon absorption edges and X-ray fluorescence. For a long time, X-ray microscopy has been limited in resolution by the fabrication of zone plate lenses, in particular for the hard X-ray range, which is needed to penetrate multicellular samples. Recent progress in X-ray optics and lensless coherent imaging now pave the way for enhanced imaging tools in neuroscience. © 2014 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.