Walking Through Windows--2024 Honorable Mention. In Art of Science

Caption: Brain cells are surrounded by a heterogeneous and dynamic structure known as the extracellular matrix
Participant category: Postdoctoral
Department: UC San Diego Department of Neurosciences

This hand-painted image, created with watercolor and gouache, is based on data from a high-resolution microscope. It shows a fluorescently-labeled extracellular matrix (ECM) in a mouse brain, highlighting how it surrounds nerve cell bodies (neuronal soma), their processes (axons and dendrites), connections, and support cells (glia). In areas where the ECM breaks down at strengthened synapses, “windows” emerge, allowing stronger connections between brain cells to form and stabilize. These stronger connections are crucial for brain health and memory. Understanding how this process works could lead to advancements in improving brain health in humans.