Year: 2012
Type: article
Abstract: The numbers and types of cells in an area of cortex define its function. Therefore it is essential to characterize the numbers and distributions of total cells in areas of the cortex, as well as to identify numbers of subclasses of neurons and glial cells. To date, the large size of the primate brain and the lack of innovation in cell counting methods have been a roadblock to obtaining high-resolution maps of cell and neuron density across the cortex in humans and non-human primates. Stereological counting methods and the isotropic fractionator are valuable tools for estimating cell numbers, but are better suited to smaller, well-defined brain structures or to cortex as a whole. In the present study, we have extended our flow-cytometry based counting method, the flow fractionator (Collins et al., 2010a), to include high-throughput total cell population estimates in homogenized cortical samples. We demonstrate that our method produces consistent, accurate and repeatable cell estimates quickly. The estimates we report are in excellent agreement with estimates for the same samples obtained using a Neubauer chamber and a fluorescence microscope. We show that our flow cytometry-based method for total cell estimation in homogenized brain tissue is more efficient and more precise than manual counting methods. The addition of automated nuclei counting to our flow fractionator method allows for a fully automated, rapid characterization of total cells and neuronal and non-neuronal populations in human and non-human primate brains, providing valuable data to further our understanding of the functional organization of normal, aging and diseased brains.
Source: Frontiers in Neuroanatomy
Authors: Nicole A. Young, David K. Flaherty, David C. Airey, Peter Varlan, Feyi Aworunse, Jon H. Kaas, Christine E. Collins
Institutions: Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Language: English
Subfield: Biophysics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,801
Funders: Vanderbilt University, Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance, National Institutes of Health, Vanderbilt Digestive Diseases Research Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, National Eye Institute, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Center for Research Resources
Awards: G1531600799, G1812229208, G1951620746, G2043477120, G2268269956, Functional Organization of the Somatosensory System, G3433274139, G4107354744, Functional Organization of the Visual System, G560889077, G563474107, G5853943267, The Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR) UL1, G7520984233, G7653134492, G9000076948, G9000081609, G9000300101, Molecular and Cellular Basis for Digestive Diseases, Cancer Center Support Grant
OpenAlex ID: W2016996872