Applications of scanning probe microscopy in neuroscience research

Scanning probe microscopy techniques allow for label-free high-resolution imaging of cells, tissues, and biomolecules in physiologically relevant conditions. These techniques include atomic force microscopy (AFM), atomic force spectroscopy, and Kelvin probe force microscopy, which enable high resolution imaging, nanomanipulation and measurement of the mechanoelastic properties of neuronal cells, as well as scanning ion conductance microscopy, which combines electrophysiology and imaging in living cells. The combination of scanning probe techniques with optical spectroscopy, such as with AFM-IR and tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, allows for the measurement of topographical maps along with chemical identity, enabled by spectroscopy. In this work, we review applications of these techniques to neuroscience research, where they have been used to study the morphology and mechanoelastic properties of neuronal cells and brain tissues, and to study changes in these as a result of chemical or physical stimuli. Cellular membrane models are widely used to investigate the interaction of the neuronal cell membrane with proteins associated with various neurological disorders, where scanning probe microscopy and associated techniques provide significant improvement in the understanding of these processes on a cellular and molecular level.