Drug-induced changes in brain metabolism, caused by intravenous cocaine use among drug addicts, and use of Diamox in patients who have had strokes or obstructed blood supply to the brain, or transient ischemic attacks. Functional significance in stenosis of the carotid vessels can also be assessed. Identification of such a focus can help in surgical therapy. Receptors for the brain chemicals dopamine and serotonin have been studied, as well as receptors for opiates. A microscopic research technique to visualize fluorescent molecules in living cells.
Traditional microscopes use regular light, which can cause tissue samples to appear blurry.
Confocal microscopes eliminate much of the blurriness by blocking out light emitted from structures not in focus, producing a sharper image. Living tissue specimens, however, can be damaged by confocal microscopy. The multiphoton confocal microscope is superior to traditional and confocal microscopes, in that it uses infrared light to illuminate only a small dot of tissue at a time. Moreover, in living tissue, damage is minimized. Because the light beam penetrates deeply, a greater volume of tissue can be examined.