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SUMMARY:In vivo 2-photon imaging of axonal microlesions in the adult brain
  - Vincenzo De Paola MRC Clinical Sciences Centre\, Faculty of Medicine\, 
 Imperial College London
DTSTART:20090402T100000Z
DTEND:20090402T104500Z
UID:TALK17662@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Anna Di Pietro
DESCRIPTION:\nDysregulation of synaptic structure and function forms the b
 asis for many neurological disorders creating an urgent need to determine 
 the mechanisms underlying functional reorganisation of the CNS. Coupled wi
 th synaptic decline\, degeneration of the axonal compartment\, as opposed 
 to cell death\, often precedes or is associated with the appearance of sym
 ptoms of disease. Understanding the mechanisms of axonal response to injur
 y therefore becomes imperative in detecting and understanding the early st
 ages of disease. Major efforts in this field have so far concentrated on s
 pinal cord injury models. To gain a comprehensive view of axonal responses
  to injury in the adult CNS\, we induced discrete axonal lesions in the in
 tact brain. By combining neuron-specific green fluorescent protein transge
 nic mice and in vivo 2-Photon microscopy through a cranial window we monit
 ored the temporal dynamics of reorganisation of the surviving neuron and t
 he degeneration of the disconnected axon. We find that lesions can be targ
 eted to identified axons. Most disconnected axons (75%) degenerate rapidly
  within 24h\, with the remaining 25% degenerating within 48h. Degeneration
  of the proximal part is local\, comprising 30-400 microns from the lesion
  site. There is no attempt of growth from the proximal end up to three wee
 ks post-lesion. We are in the process of quantifying 1) synaptic remodelli
 ng in the proximal side and 2) the induced damage in terms of cell death\,
  sub-cellular damage\, glia responses. \n\n
LOCATION:Cripps Court\, Magdalene College
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