Snapshots in Neuroscience: Neurotoxic Plaques in the Hippocampus

These images have been selected to showcase the art that neuroscience research can create.

As described by the authors: “A pathological hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the aggregation of β-Amyloid into neurotoxic plaques, especially in the hippocampus (a region vital for learning and memory). This image depicts a slice of the hippocampus from a 12-month-old mouse model of AD pathology (APP/PS1). In this image, neurotoxic plaques are labeled in green via immunofluorescence alongside a recorded CA1 pyramidal neuron (magenta).

“One of the aims of this paper was to determine whether CA1 pyramidal cells in APP/PS1 mice have altered dendrite structure. We used whole-cell patch-clamp recordings to assess the function of individual neurons while filling them with biocytin, which allowed subsequent visualization and analysis. We examined CA1 pyramidal neuron dendritic structure, and whether this differs with age and genotype. In APP/PS1 mice, we found that CA1 pyramidal neuron dendrite length inversely correlated with the amount of β-amyloid plaque coverage, suggesting a disease-relevant alteration to the morphology of hippocampal neurons.

"This image was captured using laser scanning confocal microscopy of a 300 μm thick hippocampal slice from an APP/PS1 mouse, with immunolabeling for plaques using a β-amyloid specific antibody (MOAB-2, 1:1000), visualized with a fluorescent secondary antibody (AlexaFluor568, 1:1000). The CA1 pyramidal neuron was visualized using streptavidin conjugated to AlexaFluor633. This image was captured using a Leica SP8 confocal microscope, using a 20× objective (200× total magnification; Plan-Apochromat, NA= 0.8). Image size: 2500 x 2000 μm.”

This immunofluorescence image depicts the hippocampus of a 1-year-old APP/PS1 mouse. A CA1 pyramidal neuron (magenta, biocytin labeling) is surrounded by β-Amyloid (green, immunolabeling), which is aggregated into plaques. Image credit: Jamie Elliott.

Read the full article:

GABA_B Receptor signaling in CA1 Pyramidal Cells is not Regulated by Aging in the APP/PS1 Mouse Model of Amyloid Pathology
Soraya Meftah, Max A. Wilson, Jamie Elliott, Lauren McLay, Vladimirs Dobrovolskis, Samuel Rosencrans, Lewis W. Taylor, Claudia Mugnaini, Rafaela Mostallino, Claire S. Durrant, and Sam A. Booker