Studying the brain’s chemistry, neuron by neuron

September 1, 2005 | Source: KurzweilAI

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers have developed tools for studying the chemistry of the brain, neuron by neuron. The analytical techniques can probe the spatial and temporal distribution of biologically important molecules, such as vitamin E, and explore the chemical messengers behind thought, memory and emotion.

By dismantling a slice of brain tissue into millions of single cell-size pieces, each of which can be interrogated by mass spectrometric imaging techniques, they can perform cellular profiling, examine intercellular signaling, map the distribution of new neuropeptides, and follow the release of chemicals in an activity-dependent manner.

They also developed an approach for subcellular imaging of the distribution of smaller molecules in brain cells, using novel sampling protocols and single-cell time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry.

The subcellular localization of vitamin E, which had been impossible to obtain in the past, supports other work that suggested vitamin E performed an active role in transport mechanisms and cellular signaling of neurons.

Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign news release