Fractionation of human brain by differential and isopycnic equilibration techniques

• Published in: Brain research. Brain research protocols Vol. 1; no. 1; pp. 83 - 90
• Main Authors: Luabeya, Mesu'a-K, Vanisberg, Marie-Agnès, Jeanjean, Anne P, Pierre Baudhuin, Laduron, Pierre M, Maloteaux, Jean-Marie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01-02-1997
• Subjects: Brain - cytology; Brain - metabolism; Cell Fractionation - methods; Centrifugation - methods; Differential centrifugation; Electron microscopy; Human brain; Humans; Isopycnic equilibration; Marker enzyme; Microscopy, Electron; Middle Aged; Neurosciences - methods; Subcellular Fractions - metabolism; Subcellular structure; Human brain; Isopycnic equilibration; Subcellular structure; Electron microscopy; Differential centrifugation; Marker enzyme
• ISSN: 1385-299X
• DOI: 10.1016/S1385-299X(96)00011-6

Fractionation of brain tissue by either differential or isopycnic centrifugation is a useful cytological and biochemical tool to study the intracellular localization of neuronal elements involved in neurotransmission. Several neuroreceptors and uptake sites were found to display a subcellular bimodal distribution in rat brain
[10]. However, in the human brain, little is known about the subcellular distribution of neurotransmitter receptors and amine uptake sites. Despite the inevitable post-mortem delay which seems to induce many more morphological changes than modifications of enzymatic
[20]or receptor distribution profile
[14]from the subcellular fractions, fractionation of human brain areas remains a valid procedure
[13]to explore the subcellular localization of neuronal constituents. This paper describes the methods used to separate human brain tissue. As we have previously demonstrated in rat and dog brains
[12, 14], our results indicate that differential and isopycnic fractionation techniques, used with a large number of markers such as enzymes, receptors and uptake sites, make it possible to separate tissue fractions enriched in nerve endings, dendrites, dendritic spines, plasma membranes or vesicles.