These IR-DIC videos show the morphology of neurons in living adult brain slices prepared from 5 month old mice, as imaged from the surface and proceeding down through the tissue in 10 micron increments.  Images were acquired at 5 minutes after slicing and again after a 20 minute recovery period to compare morphological preservation using the sucrose protective cutting method versus the NMDG protective recovery method.  Neurons that undergo extensive initial swelling will subsequently shrivel and are not suitable for optical imaging or patch-clamp recordings.​