Purpose: Modern neuroimaging lacks the tools necessary for whole-brain, anatomically dense neuronal damage screening. An ideal approach would include unbiased histopathologic identification of aging and neurodegenerative disease. Methods: We report the postmortem application of multiscale X-ray phase-contrast computed tomography (X-PCI-CT) for the label-free and dissection-free organ-level to intracellular-level 3D visualization of distinct single neurons and glia. In deep neuronal populations in the brain of aged wild-type and of 3xTgAD mice (a triply-transgenic model of Alzheimer’s disease), we quantified intracellular hyperdensity, a manifestation of aging or neurodegeneration. Results: In 3xTgAD mice, the observed hyperdensity was identified as amyloid-β and hyper-phosphorylated tau protein deposits with calcium and iron involvement, by correlating the X-PCI-CT data to immunohistochemistry, X-ray fluorescence microscopy, high-field MRI, and TEM. As a proof-of-concept, X-PCI-CT was used to analyze hippocampal and cortical brain regions of 3xTgAD mice treated with LY379268, selective agonist of group II metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGlu2/3 receptors). Chronic pharmacologic activation of mGlu2/3 receptors significantly reduced the hyperdensity particle load in the ventral cortical regions of 3xTgAD mice, suggesting a neuroprotective effect with locoregional efficacy. Conclusions: This multiscale micro-to-nano 3D imaging method based on X-PCI-CT enabled identification and quantification of cellular and sub-cellular aging and neurodegeneration in deep neuronal and glial cell populations in a transgenic model of Alzheimer’s disease. This approach quantified the localized and intracellular neuroprotective effects of pharmacological activation of mGlu2/3 receptors.

Barbone, G., Bravin, A., Mittone, A., Pacureanu, A., Mascio, G., Di Pietro, P., et al. (2022). X-ray multiscale 3D neuroimaging to quantify cellular aging and neurodegeneration postmortem in a model of Alzheimer's disease. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE AND MOLECULAR IMAGING, 49(11), 4338-4357 [10.1007/s00259-022-05896-5].

X-ray multiscale 3D neuroimaging to quantify cellular aging and neurodegeneration postmortem in a model of Alzheimer's disease

Bravin, Alberto
Secondo
;
2022

Abstract

Purpose: Modern neuroimaging lacks the tools necessary for whole-brain, anatomically dense neuronal damage screening. An ideal approach would include unbiased histopathologic identification of aging and neurodegenerative disease. Methods: We report the postmortem application of multiscale X-ray phase-contrast computed tomography (X-PCI-CT) for the label-free and dissection-free organ-level to intracellular-level 3D visualization of distinct single neurons and glia. In deep neuronal populations in the brain of aged wild-type and of 3xTgAD mice (a triply-transgenic model of Alzheimer’s disease), we quantified intracellular hyperdensity, a manifestation of aging or neurodegeneration. Results: In 3xTgAD mice, the observed hyperdensity was identified as amyloid-β and hyper-phosphorylated tau protein deposits with calcium and iron involvement, by correlating the X-PCI-CT data to immunohistochemistry, X-ray fluorescence microscopy, high-field MRI, and TEM. As a proof-of-concept, X-PCI-CT was used to analyze hippocampal and cortical brain regions of 3xTgAD mice treated with LY379268, selective agonist of group II metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGlu2/3 receptors). Chronic pharmacologic activation of mGlu2/3 receptors significantly reduced the hyperdensity particle load in the ventral cortical regions of 3xTgAD mice, suggesting a neuroprotective effect with locoregional efficacy. Conclusions: This multiscale micro-to-nano 3D imaging method based on X-PCI-CT enabled identification and quantification of cellular and sub-cellular aging and neurodegeneration in deep neuronal and glial cell populations in a transgenic model of Alzheimer’s disease. This approach quantified the localized and intracellular neuroprotective effects of pharmacological activation of mGlu2/3 receptors.
Articolo in rivista - Articolo scientifico
Alzheimer’s disease; Metabotropic glutamate receptors; Micro-CT; Nano-imaging; Neuro-radiology; Neurodegeneration;
English
19-lug-2022
2022
49
11
4338
4357
reserved
Barbone, G., Bravin, A., Mittone, A., Pacureanu, A., Mascio, G., Di Pietro, P., et al. (2022). X-ray multiscale 3D neuroimaging to quantify cellular aging and neurodegeneration postmortem in a model of Alzheimer's disease. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE AND MOLECULAR IMAGING, 49(11), 4338-4357 [10.1007/s00259-022-05896-5].
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10281/390106
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