X-ray Diffraction Reveals Periodicity in Murine Neocortex
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Background
The perineuronal net (PNN) is a form of extracellular matrix which develops as a lattice-like structure around neuronal somas, proximal dendrites and synapses. In homeostasis, it supports synaptic stability, protects neurons, and helps regulate inhibition/excitation. In pathology, it has been described as degraded or even absent. Sensory deprivation has been shown to alter PNN structures.
New Methods
Here, we measured the X-ray diffraction patterns of mouse brain tissue to establish a novel method for examining nanoscale brain structures. Two groups of mice were examined, a control group, and one which underwent 30 days (P0-P30) of whisker-trimming – an established method of sensory deprivation, affecting the mouse barrel cortex (whisker sensory processing region of somatosensory cortex). Mice were perfused, and primary somatosensory cortices (barrel cortex) were isolated for x-ray diffraction imaging.
Results
X-ray images were characterized using a specially developed machine-learning approach, and the clusters that correspond to the two groups are well separated in the space of the principal components.
Conclusions
We hypothesize that such separation is related to the development of nanoscale structural components within PNNs of control mice and the absence of such structures in sensory deprived mice.
