What is the principle of confocal microscopy?

The basic principle of confocal microscopy is that the illumination and detection optics are focused on the same diffraction-limited spot, which is moved over the sample to build the complete image on the detector.

Can confocal microscopy be used for live cell imaging?

Confocal microscopy is a powerful tool that can be used to create 3D images of the structures within living cells and to examine the dynamics of cellular processes1.

What is the function of confocal microscope?

Confocal microscopy provides the capacity for direct, noninvasive, serial optical sectioning of intact, thick, living specimens with a minimum of sample preparation as well as a marginal improvement in lateral resolution compared to wide-field microscopy.

How does reflectance confocal microscopy work?

Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is a optical imaging technique that affords an horizontal view of the skin until superficial dermis. RCM uses a laser light, at near infrared wavelength (830 nm), as a source of coherent monochromatic light which penetrates the tissue and illuminates a single point.

Which of the following microscopy techniques can be used in live-cell imaging?

Microscopy techniques that can capture live cell images include confocal microscopy, phase contrast microscopy, fluorescent microscopy, and quantitative phase contrast microscopy.

Which technique Cannot be used for live-cell imaging?

Another method for reducing the effects of free radicals in the sample is the use of antifade reagents. Unfortunately, most commercial antifade reagents cannot be used in live-cell imaging because of their toxicity.

What are the types of confocal microscope?

There are three types of confocal microscopes: laser scanning microscopes, which use a sharply focused laser that scans over the sample; spinning disk confocal microscopes, which use a disk with pinholes cut into it that are arranged in the shape of a spiral; and programmable array microscopes (PAM), which work much …

What is confocal laser scanning microscopy used for?

The confocal laser scanning microscopes enable researchers to create detailed 3D pictures of cell organelles and to examine “live” cells through incubation systems that facilitate the study of cellular changes over time.

Why is laser scanning confocal microscopes used in medicine?

Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) allows optical slicing through tissue. By eliminating out-of-focus images, CLSM affords greater spatial resolution in living tissue and allows visualization of living structures as small as dendritic spines (Fig. 18.7).

What is the difference between upright and inverted microscopes?

Upright microscopes have objectives placed above the stage where you put your sample; inverted microscopes have objectives below the stage where you put your sample.

How is confocal microscopy used for live cell imaging?

For high-speed imaging of fluorescent molecules and structures within living cells, microscopes must provide rapid field-of-view scanning that eliminates any out-of-focus light planes that can obscure fluorescence 2.

What is the principle of a confocal microscope?

Principle: Similar to the widefield microscope, the confocal microscope uses fluorescence optics. Instead of illuminating the whole sample at once, laser light is focused onto a defined spot at a specific depth within the sample. This leads to the emission of fluorescent light at exactly this point.

How is a confocal microscope similar to a widefield microscope?

Similar to the widefield microscope, the confocal microscope uses fluorescence optics. Instead of illuminating the whole sample at once, laser light is focused onto a defined spot at a specific depth within the sample. This leads to the emission of fluorescent light at exactly this point.

How is the lateral resolution of a confocal microscope improved?

The lateral resolution of a confocal microscope is improved over a conventional widefield fluorescence microscope when the pinholes are closed to the minimum size providing a diffraction-limited imaging system. The best resolution that can be obtained is ~ 0.2 μm laterally and ~ 0.6 μm axially, though in practice that is not always achieved.