Ricerc@Sapienza

Hippocampal organotypic cultures constitute a very easy but delicate method widely used to study amyloid β-peptide toxicity. This ex vivo technique is performed on tissues isolated from newborn rats. Here, we describe a protocol for the preparation and culture of hippocampal organotypic slices that can be maintained for 14-21 days and their application to the study of amyloid β-peptide toxicity.

The intrahippocampal injection of amyloid beta peptide (1-42) (Aβ(1-42)) represents one of the most useful animal models of Alzheimer disease. Since none of these available models fully represents the main pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer disease, stereotaxic Aβ(1-42) infusion provides researchers with an in vivo alternative paradigm. When performed by well-trained individuals, this model is the best-suited one for short-term studies focusing on the effects of Aβ(1-42) on a specific brain region or circuitry. Here, we describe all methodological phases of such a model.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), a primary cause of dementia in the aging population, is characterized by extracellular amyloid-beta peptides aggregation, intracellular deposits of hyperphosphorylated tau, neurodegeneration and glial activation in the brain. It is commonly thought that the lack of early diagnostic criteria is among the main causes of pharmacological therapy and clinical trials failure; therefore, the actual challenge is to define new biomarkers and non-invasive technologies to measure neuropathological changes in vivo at pre-symptomatic stages.