Oxford Instruments Imaris for Neuroscientists

Imaris for Neuroscientists, by Oxford Instruments, enables 3D reconstruction of neurons and arborisation analysis. It can resolve various structures, such as axons and dendrites, somas, dendritic spines, microglia or astrocytes. It calculates a range of neuron-specific measurements, such as dendrite or segment length, orientation, diameter, branch level, spine density, and spine shape analysis and classification.

The software is suitable for tracing blood vessels and getting measurements like segment length, total length, diameter, mean segment intensity and orientation of segments. In addition, it is useful for object tracking, plotting and group comparisons, and provides a two-way interface for customisation in Matlab, Java or Python.

Automatic neuron tracing combines the benefits of an intensity-based method with a novel machine learning approach, providing a flexible tool for tracing a multitude of neuron types. Creating filament models is easy, even for non-experienced users, because they are guided via precisely designed wizards with the result previewed after each step. By following the wizard instructions accompanied with a few paintbrushes along the structures of interest, they are separated from the background.

The software package is about much more than just tracing. With the inclusion of various Imaris modules, the user can experience complete analysis freedom during their experiments. These modules include Imaris Core, Imaris MeasurementPro, Imaris CoLoc, Imaris Vantage, Imaris TrackLineage, Imaris XT and Imaris FilamentTracer.