INFRARED MICROSPECTROSCOPIC IMAGING OF THE CEREBELLUM OF NORMAL AND CYTARABINE TREATED RATS

Conventionally, the diagnosis of neuropathology in a subject requires the identification of a behavioral modification, which provides direct ion for appropriate histological analyses. However, since the ultimate diagnosis of the pathology largely depends on the initial choice of h istological tests, the opportunity exists for inaccurate or insensitiv e results. An innovative approach using Fourier transform infrared (FT -IR) spectroscopic imaging to diagnose neuropathology should prove use ful. This novel method monitors and visualizes the underlying chemistr y of the tissue, based on hundreds of vibrational absorption bands tha t are intrinsic to the sample, As such, it makes no prior assumptions as to the type or degree of pathology. Using this technique, we have s pectroscopically imaged cerebellar tissue slices from rats [control su bjects and subjects treated with the antineoplastic drug, cytarabine ( Ara-C)], and have been able to correlate lipid and protein distributio ns within distinct cell types in the cerebellum. A further benefit of the technique is that it simultaneously records tens of thousands of i ndependent spectra from different spatial locations within the sample. Thus, a variety of statistical and multivariate techniques can be exp loited to characterize large sample areas and to provide robust classi fication of individual spectral signatures. In comparison to standard histological protocols, FT-IR spectroscopic imaging simultaneously ana lyzes cell layers and identifies subtle structural and biochemical cha nges within the sample. We suggest that FT-IR spectroscopic imaging sh ould provide a highly reliable, complementary tool for standard histol ogical tier testing.