Combining brain imaging with microarray: isolating molecules underlying the physiologic disorders of the brain.
Many diseases of the nervous system cause dysfunction by impairing neuronal physiology more than by altering brain anatomy--including age-related cognitive decline, most psychiatric disorders, and even the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease. The absence of clear anatomical markers makes it difficult to identify targeted cells, which in turn impedes attempts to isolate the pathogenic molecules that cause physiologic disruption. Here we show how brain imaging and microarray can be used as complimentary techniques that together can characterize the cellular and molecular aspects of this class of diseases.
Pierce
Aimee
A
The Taub Institute on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, the Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, and the Department of Neurology, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York 10032, USA.
Small
Scott A
SA
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology*; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic