MICROSCOPY Vol.43▶No.4 2008
■Feature Articles: Application of High Voltage Electron Microscopy for Biomedical Science

The Basis and Application for the Observation of Biological Materials with High Voltage Electron Microscopy

Hitoshi Ozawa

Abstract: Observation for biomaterials by high voltage electron microscopy (HVEM) shows the value for three-dimensional reconstruction of ultrastructure. The technology of the tomography observation is advancing recently, and the application is expected much in addition to the  HVEM stereo-observation. So, this technique gives us to a capacity for investigating the ultrastructure not only in the limited, but also the wide area. It is suggested that the HVEM shows a capability to help us for developing researches, with unique good ideas for research strategy. In the paper, the values of HVEM for biological research with our recent scientific data about the morphofunctinal changes in the neurons and the astroglia under different corticosterne conditions using HVEM are discussed.

Key words: high-voltage electron microscopy, three-dimensional observation, tomography, neuron, glial cells