Microradiosurgical cortical transections generated by synchrotron radiation

•An array of 10 X-ray microbeams has been delivered to the visual cortex of normal rats.•The effects mimic those generated by microsurgical subpial transections.•The procedure was well tolerated.•Remarkable sparing of the cortical columns adjacent to the transections.•Cortex showed an incision-like path of cell loss; adjacent columns remained intact.