The winner of the 2023 Nikon Small World in Motion competition is Alexandre Dumoulin of the Department of Molecular Life Sciences at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. The first sequence in this video is his winning entry, which depicts 48 hours in the development of neurons in a chick embryo as it develops its central nervous system.
...the footage shows the elongation of axons - projections from nerve cells - between the two hemispheres of the central nervous system. In neurological disorders, axons can be impaired. “By studying these, organisms I aim to enhance our comprehension of how the nervous system functions and identify potential factors contributing to neurodevelopmental disorders,” says Dumoulin.
It's important to understand normal neuron development, as deviations may lead to disorders such as autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. For complete descriptions of the other prize-winning microscopy videos, you'll have to go to the Nikon Small World in Motion contest site. The Honorable Mentions are pretty amazing, too. -via Nag on the Lake