title: Distribution of lipids in human brain.
abstract: The enormous abundance of lipid molecules in the central nervous system (CNS) suggests that their role is not limited to be structural and energetic components of cells. Over the last decades, some lipids in the CNS have been identified as intracellular signalers, while others are known to act as neuromodulators of neurotransmission through binding to specific receptors. Neurotransmitters of lipidic nature, currently known as neurolipids, are synthesized during the metabolism of phospholipid precursors present in cell membranes. Therefore, the anatomical identification of each of the different lipid species in human CNS by imaging mass spectrometry (IMS), in association with other biochemical techniques with spatial resolution, can increase our knowledge on the precise metabolic routes that synthesize these neurolipids and their localization. The present study shows the lipid distribution obtained by MALDI-TOF IMS in human frontal cortex, hippocampus, and striatal area, together with functional autoradiography of cannabinoid and LPA receptors. The combined application of these methods to postmortem human brain samples may be envisioned as critical to further understand neurological diseases, in general, and particularly, the neurodegeneration that accompanies Alzheimer's disease.
authors: Department of Chemical Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country, Leioa, Spain.
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: Veloso
authors: Roberto
authors: R
authors: Fernández
authors: Egoitz
authors: E
authors: Astigarraga
authors: Gabriel
authors: G
authors: Barreda-Gómez
authors: Iván
authors: I
authors: Manuel
authors: M Teresa
authors: MT
authors: Giralt
authors: Isidro
authors: I
authors: Ferrer
authors: Begoña
authors: B
authors: Ochoa
authors: Rafael
authors: R
authors: Rodríguez-Puertas
authors: José A
authors: JA
authors: Fernández
mesh_terms: D001345:Autoradiography; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000737:chemistry / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis*; D011859:Radiography; D043882:Receptors, Cannabinoid / Q000032:analysis; D049368:Receptors, Lysophosphatidic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D043882:Receptors, Cannabinoid; D049368:Receptors, Lysophosphatidic Acid