The assessment of genomic alterations using DNA arrays following traumaticbrain injury: a review

Recent advances in DNA microarray technology have enabled the simultaneous evaluation of thousands of genes and the subsequent generation of massive a mounts of biological data relevant to injury or diseases of the central ner vous system (CNS). This technology has the potential to bridge the gap betw een molecular and systems neuroscience by efficiently revealing the discret e molecular aspects underlying the perturbations of complex systemic insult s such as those resulting from traumatic brain injury (TBI). One of the mor e intriguing and as of yet not understood aspects of TBI that can be effici ently explored with DNA microarrays, is the sequence of molecular events th at results in pronounced cell death in specific areas of the brain. The elu cidation of these changes in gene expression underlying the mechanism of ce ll death following brain injury is of central importance in the design of f uture therapeutic agents. This review focuses on the technical aspects of m icroarray manufacture (photolithography, microspotting, and ink jet technol ogy) and their utility in elucidating the molecular sequelae of brain injur y.