Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

High-resolution x-ray absorption spectroscopy studies of metal compounds in neurodegenerative brain tissue

Conference ·
OSTI ID:1008958
Fluorescence mapping and microfocus X-ray absorption spectroscopy are used to detect, locate and identify iron biominerals and other inorganic metal accumulations in neurodegenerative brain tissue at sub-cellular resolution (< 5 microns). Recent progress in developing the technique is reviewed. Synchrotron X-rays are used to map tissue sections for metals of interest, and XANES and XAFS are used to characterize anomalous concentrations of the metals in-situ so that they can be correlated with tissue structures and disease pathology. Iron anomalies associated with biogenic magnetite, ferritin and haemoglobin are located and identified in an avian tissue model with a pixel resolution {approx} 5 microns. Subsequent studies include brain tissue sections from transgenic Huntington's mice, and the first high-resolution mapping and identification of iron biominerals in human Alzheimer's and control autopsy brain tissue. Technical developments include use of microfocus diffraction to obtain structural information about biominerals in-situ, and depositing sample location grids by lithography for the location of anomalies by conventional microscopy. The combined techniques provide a breakthrough in the study of both intra- and extra-cellular iron compounds and related metals in tissue. The information to be gained from this approach has implications for future diagnosis and treatment of neurodegeneration, and for our understanding of the mechanisms involved.
Research Organization:
Advanced Photon Source (APS), Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
OSTI ID:
1008958
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH

Similar Records

Detection, identification and mapping of iron anomalies in brain tissue using X-ray absorption spectroscopy
Journal Article · Mon Jun 16 00:00:00 EDT 2008 · J. Roy. Soc. Inter. · OSTI ID:1008622

In-situ Characterization and Mapping of Iron Compounds in Alzheimer's Tissue
Journal Article · Mon Jun 16 00:00:00 EDT 2008 · J. Alzheimers Dis. · OSTI ID:1008629

Mapping and characterization of iron compounds in Alzheimer's tissue
Journal Article · Mon Jun 16 00:00:00 EDT 2008 · J. Alzheimers Dis. · OSTI ID:1007722