3 ms·

Is there any hope for an imaging device to map the brain that isn't so invasive? Similar to an MRI?

• rflrob 10y ago
  Not really. Due to diffraction, the wavelength you need to resolve an axon (let alone the much more challenging dendritic projections) is on the order of a micron, which is near infrared. Unfortunately, our skulls are opaque in this wavelength. You could possibly do X-rays, but the consensus is that blasting your head with the amount of ionizing radiation you'd need is a Bad Idea™. There's possibly some room for a clever super resolution technique, but I haven't seen anything about it (it's also not my field).