Synaptic transmission in neurons requires a fine balance between excitation and inhibition in neural circuits, disruption of which can lead to severe neurological disorders. The detection and quantification of changes in synaptic structures or neurotransmitter receptor distribution is crucial to unveil the mechanisms leading to these disorders and for the development of drugs to target neurological or neuropsychiatric diseases. This level of detail requires the analysis of nanoscale features using single-molecule localization microscopy. 

Our Tips & Tricks webinar was presented by ONI’s Field Applications Scientist Dr Lara Laparra Cuervo and Senior Scientist Andras Miklosi. The webinar covers the fundamentals of dSTORM, including sample preparation, imaging and analysis, with a focus on how the ONI Discovery Kit^TM: dSTORM in Cells, together with the Nanoimager microscope enables researchers to characterize neuron morphology, visualize synaptic structures with 20 nm resolution and quantify synaptic nanoscale differences and receptor distribution using multicolor dSTORM.