SEMIAUTOMATED ANALYSIS OF NMDA-MEDIATED TOXICITY IN DIGITIZED COLOR IMAGES FROM RAT HIPPOCAMPUS

Citation
D. Manahanvaughan et al., SEMIAUTOMATED ANALYSIS OF NMDA-MEDIATED TOXICITY IN DIGITIZED COLOR IMAGES FROM RAT HIPPOCAMPUS, Journal of neuroscience methods, 82(1), 1998, pp. 85-95
Citations number
27
Categorie Soggetti
Neurosciences,"Biochemical Research Methods
ISSN journal
01650270
Volume
82
Issue
1
Year of publication
1998
Pages
85 - 95
Database
ISI
SICI code
0165-0270(1998)82:1<85:SAONTI>2.0.ZU;2-W
Abstract
The evaluation of neuronal cell survival after, for example, mechanica l, hypoxic or drug-mediated injury requires the analysis of a high num ber of histological specimens. Since this is a time-consuming occupati on, we have developed a semi-automated analysis routine for the determ ination of the distribution of live and dead cells. After digitalizati on of the histological preparations, 8-bit colour bitmaps were assesse d using a compiled image-analysis programme of the software package Kh oros. In the current study a detailed example of the application of th is image-processing approach is described for the investigation of the cell survival after intraventricular application of N-methyl-D-aspart ate (NMDA). The samples were prepared as fuchsin acid/toluidine blue s tained hippocampal thin slices. The calculated areas of the live and d ead cells were highly correlated with manual counts of live and dead c ells in the 100 samples examined in this study. Twenty-four hours foll owing NMDA-treatment animals (n = 5) were found to have significantly fewer live and more dead hippocampal cells than the saline-treated ani mals (n = 5), using either automated or manual examination techniques. The automated technique also revealed that NMDA treatment resulted in a reduction in the density of live cell distribution. (C) 1998 Elsevi er Science B.V. All rights reserved.