What is Transneuronal tracing?

Viral neuronal tracing is the use of a virus to trace neural pathways, providing a self-replicating tracer. Viruses have the advantage of self replication over molecular tracers, but can also spread too quickly and cause degradation of neural tissue.

What are anterograde tracers used for?

Anterograde tracers allow the visualization of neurons and their targets, typically beginning in cell bodies and traveling down axons to their postsynaptic targets. Retrograde tracers progress in the opposite direction, from the terminals of axons back to their cell bodies.

What is anterograde labeling?

In neuroscience, anterograde tracing is a research method which is used to trace axonal projections from their source (the cell body or soma) to their point of termination (the synapse). A hallmark of anterograde tracing is the labeling of the presynaptic and the postsynaptic neuron(s).

What is anterograde and retrograde tracing?

Anterograde tracing outlines neurons from their cell bodies to the terminals of their axons; while retrograde tracing outlines neurons in the opposite direction, from the terminals of their axons to their cell bodies. Anterograde and retrograde tracing take advantage of existing transport pathways in neurons.

How does a retrograde virus work?

A retrograde infection is defined as spread of virus from the axon terminals to the parent neurons; the direction of retrograde spread of virus is opposite to that of the nerve impulse.

What does a retrograde tracer tell you?

Retrograde tracing techniques allow for detailed assessment of neuronal connections between a target population of neurons and their inputs throughout the nervous system. These techniques allow the “mapping” of connections between neurons in a particular structure (e.g. the eye) and the target neurons in the brain.

What is RetroBeads?

RetroBeads™: The original, reliable fluorescent tracer RetroBeads™ from Lumafluor are the original microspheres for retrograde tracing and the only microspheres proven effective where it counts: in your experiments. Green and Red fluorescent RetroBeads™ are available exclusively from Lumafluor.