eprintid: 10025976 rev_number: 26 eprint_status: archive userid: 608 dir: disk0/10/02/59/76 datestamp: 2017-10-26 13:31:36 lastmod: 2021-11-07 00:20:18 status_changed: 2017-10-26 13:31:36 type: article metadata_visibility: show creators_name: McLeod, F creators_name: Marzo, A creators_name: Podpolny, M creators_name: Galli, S creators_name: Salinas, P title: Evaluation of Synapse Density in Hippocampal Rodent Brain Slices. ispublished: pub divisions: UCL divisions: B02 divisions: C08 divisions: D09 divisions: F96 keywords: Neuroscience, Issue 128, Neurons, synapses, brain slices, immunofluorescence, hippocampus, mouse, rat, vGlut1, PSD-95, vGAT, gephyrin note: Copyright © 2017 Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License abstract: In the brain, synapses are specialized junctions between neurons, determining the strength and spread of neuronal signaling. The number of synapses is tightly regulated during development and neuronal maturation. Importantly, deficits in synapse number can lead to cognitive dysfunction. Therefore, the evaluation of synapse number is an integral part of neurobiology. However, as synapses are small and highly compact in the intact brain, the assessment of absolute number is challenging. This protocol describes a method to easily identify and evaluate synapses in hippocampal rodent slices using immunofluorescence microscopy. It includes a three-step procedure to evaluate synapses in high-quality confocal microscopy images by analyzing the co-localization of pre- and postsynaptic proteins in hippocampal slices. It also explains how the analysis is performed and gives representative examples from both excitatory and inhibitory synapses. This protocol provides a solid foundation for the analysis of synapses and can be applied to any research investigating the structure and function of the brain. date: 2017-10 date_type: published official_url: http://dx.doi.org/10.3791/56153 oa_status: green full_text_type: pub language: eng primo: open primo_central: open_green article_type_text: Journal Article verified: verified_manual elements_id: 1465261 doi: 10.3791/56153 language_elements: eng lyricists_name: Marzo, Aude lyricists_name: McLeod, Faye lyricists_name: Podpolny, Marina lyricists_name: Salinas, Patricia lyricists_id: AMARZ78 lyricists_id: FMCLE94 lyricists_id: MTETE37 lyricists_id: PSALI67 actors_name: Cuccu, Clara actors_id: CCCUC40 actors_role: owner full_text_status: public publication: J Vis Exp number: 128 article_number: e56153 event_location: United States issn: 1940-087X citation: McLeod, F; Marzo, A; Podpolny, M; Galli, S; Salinas, P; (2017) Evaluation of Synapse Density in Hippocampal Rodent Brain Slices. J Vis Exp (128) , Article e56153. 10.3791/56153 <https://doi.org/10.3791/56153>. Green open access document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10025976/1/Evaluation%20of%20Synapse%20Densit.pdf