Next generation histology methods for three-dimensional imaging of fresh and archival human brain tissues

Next generation histology methods for three-dimensional imaging of fresh and archival human brain tissues

Modern clearing techniques for the three-dimensional (3D) visualisation of neural tissue microstructure have been very effective when used on rodent brain but very few studies have utilised them on human brain material, mainly due to the inherent difficulties in processing post-mortem tissue. Here w...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature communications 2018-03, Vol.9 (1), p.1066-12, Article 1066
Main Authors: Lai, Hei Ming, Liu, Alan King Lun, Ng, Harry Ho Man, Goldfinger, Marc H, Chau, Tsz Wing, DeFelice, John, Tilley, Bension S, Wong, Wai Man, Wu, Wutian, Gentleman, Steve M
Format: Article
Language:eng
Subjects:
Brain
Brain - diagnostic imaging
Brain - metabolism
Catecholamines - metabolism
Clearing
Dendritic spines
Fluorescent Antibody Technique
Histology
Humans
Imaging, Three-Dimensional - methods
Immunohistochemistry
Lipophilic
Neuroimaging
Paraffin
Paraffin Embedding
Tissues
Tracers
Visualization
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Modern clearing techniques for the three-dimensional (3D) visualisation of neural tissue microstructure have been very effective when used on rodent brain but very few studies have utilised them on human brain material, mainly due to the inherent difficulties in processing post-mortem tissue. Here we develop a tissue clearing solution, OPTIClear, optimised for fresh and archival human brain tissue, including formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded material. In light of practical challenges with immunostaining in tissue clearing, we adapt the use of cresyl violet for visualisation of neurons in cleared tissue, with the potential for 3D quantification in regions of interest. Furthermore, we use lipophilic tracers for tracing of neuronal processes in post-mortem tissue, enabling the study of the morphology of human dendritic spines in 3D. The development of these different strategies for human tissue clearing has wide applicability and, we hope, will provide a baseline for further technique development.
ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723