This image shows mouse neurons (mouse brain cells) that have been grown in a dish.

Under the growth conditions in the dish, these neurons from beautiful outgrowths (green) called neurites that are reminiscent of the “wiring” between cells in the brain. The blue shows the neurons’ nuclei while the red highlights a protein (PQBP1) which is important in causing this neurite growth and is associated with neurological disorders.

For more information on the connections in the brain, see this Signal to Noise article:

http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2012/cognitive-neuroscience/

Work contributed by Qingqing Wang