Large-Scale Imaging and Brain Mapping Are Topics of Olympus Symposium at Society for Neuroscience Meeting, Nov. 13, 6:30 p.m.

CENTER VALLEY, Pa., November 9, 2011 – Olympus is hosting its second major symposium on Brain Imaging and Brain Mapping in conjunction with the 2011 annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) in Washington DC on November 13. The Olympus Neuroimaging Symposium will be held at the Grand Hyatt Washington DC, 1000 H Street, Independence Level Ballrooms B-E, at 6:30pm. It will be followed by a reception honoring the winners of this year’s international Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition photo awards; that reception will start at 7:30pm.

Advances in imaging technology are providing researchers with images that, for the first time, are large and detailed enough to create maps of animal or human organs that clearly show their complex circuitry and the interconnectedness of cells in three dimensions. Olympus is bringing together some of the world’s most respected authorities in brain mapping, imaging and connectomics as speakers for the event. The symposium is open to all media and SfN registered attendees; refreshments will be served. Speakers include:

• Dr. Hongwei Dong, University of California, Los Angeles
• Dr. Atsushi Miyawaki, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Japan
• Dr. Hongkui Zeng, Allen Institute, Seattle, Washington

Dr. Miyawaki will be speaking about a breakthrough imaging technique recently published in Nature Neuroscience ( www.nature.com/neuro/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nn.2928.html ) and covered by news media worldwide. His team’s methodology, which involves a reagent and a specialized microscope objective, renders opaque biological tissue clear and facilitates imaging several times deeper into specimens than has ever been possible before. Dr. Dong and Dr. Zeng will be discussing their own work, the power of large-scale image technologies and how to meet the challenge of extracting connectomics data.

Olympus has a long history of supporting researchers with education and professional development, and this is the second year that Olympus has convened this groundbreaking neuroimaging symposium. Olympus will also be exhibiting equipment appropriate for neuroscience applications at Booth #2525 at the SfN meeting, including the FluoView® FV1000 laser scanning confocal system, the FluoView FV1000-MPE multiphoton imaging system with the SCALEVIEW objective, and the VS120® digital slide scanning system.

For more information or to register for the symposium, visit www.olympusamerica.com/neuro2011 . Media members may call Vincent Park at (914) 523-4777 to secure a seat in the Press Area during the symposium.

About Olympus America Inc., Scientific Equipment Group
Olympus America Scientific Equipment Group provides innovative microscope imaging solutions for researchers, doctors, clinicians and educators. Olympus microscope systems offer unsurpassed optics, superior construction and system versatility to meet the ever-changing needs of microscopists, paving the way for future advances in life science.

About Olympus
Olympus is a precision technology leader, designing and delivering innovative solutions in its core business areas: Medical and Surgical Products, Life Science Imaging Systems, Industrial Measurement and Imaging Instruments and Cameras and Audio Products. Olympus works collaboratively with its customers and affiliates worldwide to leverage R&D investment in precision technology and manufacturing processes across diverse business lines. These include:

• Gastrointestinal endoscopes, accessories, and minimally invasive surgical products;
• Advanced research, clinical and educational microscopes and research and educational digital imaging systems;
• Industrial research, engineering, test, inspection and measuring instruments; and
• Digital cameras and voice recorders.

Olympus serves the healthcare field with integrated product solutions and financial, educational and consulting services that help customers to efficiently, reliably and more easily achieve exceptional results. Olympus develops breakthrough technologies with revolutionary product design and functionality for the consumer and professional photography markets, and also is the leader in gastrointestinal endoscopy and clinical and educational microscopes. For more information, visit www.olympusamerica.com

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