title: Automated analysis of spines from confocal laser microscopy images: application to the discrimination of androgen and estrogen effects on spinogenesis.
abstract: Accurate 3D determination of postsynaptic structures is essential to our understanding memory-related function and pathology in neurons. However, current methods of spine analysis require time-consuming and labor-intensive manual spine identification in large image data sets. Therefore, a realistic implementation of algorithm is necessary to replace manual identification. Here, we describe a new method for the automated detection of spines and dendrites based on analysis of geometrical features. Our "Spiso-3D" software carries out automated dendrite reconstruction and spine detection using both eigenvalue images and information of brightness, avoiding detection of pseudo-spines. To demonstrate the potential application of Spiso-3D automated analysis, we distinguished the rapid effects of androgen and estrogen on rapid modulation of spine head diameter in the hippocampus. These findings advance our understanding of neurotrophic function of brain sex steroids. Our method is expected to be valuable to analyze vast amounts of dendritic spines in neurons in the mammalian cerebral cortex.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics and Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mukai
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hatanaka
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mitsuhashi
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hojo
authors.forename: Yoshimasa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Komatsuzaki
authors.forename: Rei
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Gen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kimoto
authors.forename: Suguru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawato
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000728:Androgens / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D057205:Automation, Laboratory / Q000379:methods*; D049229:Dendritic Spines / Q000187:drug effects; D004967:Estrogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012984:Software
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens; D004967:Estrogens