c-FOS+ Brain Mapping

Whole brain mapping of neural activity

c-FOS is a protein derived from immediate early gene expression and is recognized as a specific marker of neuronal activity throughout the mammalian brain. Through a variety of perturbations (e.g. drug treatments, external stimuli), expression levels become elevated. By detecting c-FOS+ cells throughout tissue volumes via immunolabeling, imaging, and analyses, neural activity can be visualized, mapped, and quantified throughout the brain.

We have fine-tuned our technology to label and image these cells throughout the CNS. We also offer robust models for detecting positive cells in murine brain samples and provide cell counts, densities, and heat maps quantifying levels of regional neural activity registered to the Allen Brain Atlas.

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c-FOS expression in whole rat brain, imaged with SmartSPIM
Above: c-FOS in whole rat brain. Click for higher resolution of zoomed-in region.
Header: c-FOS in whole mouse brain. Sample courtesy of Dr. Alex Kwan, Cornell University.

c-FOS expression in 3D

Upon receiving your samples, LifeCanvas technicians:

  • Use SHIELD to preserve protein antigenicity
  • Actively clear and immunolabel tissue with specific antibodies using SmartBatch+
  • Index-match samples with EasyIndex
  • Acquire volumetric light sheet images with SmartSPIM or MegaSPIM
  • Analyze post-processed images with SmartAnalytics to derive cell counts, densities, heat maps, and graphical outputs

From brain samples to publishable data

You send us: PFA-fixed samples from your experimental animals

Through our interactive data delivery platform, we provide:

  • Regional cell counts registered to the Allen Brain Atlas
  • Heat maps showing localized levels of protein expression, including side-by-side treatment vs. control maps, and subtracted maps to compare treatment groups
  • Coronal views with Atlas overlays depicting detected cells throughout the whole brain volume
  • Side-by-side bar plots of experimental effect on multiple brain regions
Learn about other applications
Heatmap of c-FOS+ cell density by region in intact mouse brain hemisphere
Heat maps showing fluorescence intensity of c-FOS-expressing cells by brain region and treatment group
Bar plot showing detected c-FOS+ cells by brain region and treatment group
Subtracted heatmap showing difference between treatment and control groups, looking at fluorescence intensity of c-FOS-expressing cells by brain region

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Further reading

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