Inside a rat’s brain

Toxicology Unit, UK, is a runner-up in this year's Current Biology photomicrography competition. It shows the normal relationship between Purkinje's neurons (red) and glial cells (green) in the rat cerebellum. Connections between the glial cells and the cell bodies, axons and dendrites of the Perkinje cells show that these interact closely. Two morphologically different types of green glial cells can be seen: the white matter astrocytes (the stellate structures seen mainly at the top of the image); and Bergmann's radial glia, which are the larger linear cells. The functional differences, if any, between these two related glia are unknown.