Viral neuronal tracing (original) (raw)

Viral neuronal tracing is the use of a virus to trace neural pathways, providing a self-replicating tracer. Viruses have the advantage of self replication over molecular tracers, but can also spread too quickly and cause degradation of neural tissue. Viruses which can infect the nervous system, called neurotropic viruses, spread through spatially close assemblies of neurons through synapses, allowing for their use in studying functionally connected neural networks.