title: RP-CARS: label-free optical readout of the myelin intrinsic healthiness.
abstract: Here we present a method based on Rotating-Polarization Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (RP-CARS) imaging to assess the myelin health status in mouse sciatic nerves. Differently from the existing techniques, our method is based on the readout of intrinsic molecular architecture rather than on the image analysis, relying on the fact that healthy myelin is characterized by a high degree of molecular order. We exploit RP-CARS imaging to demonstrate that the degree of spatial anisotropy of the CARS signal displays a strong correlation with the g-ratio (a well-known image-based index of myelin damage) in a chemical-damage model and therefore that the former is a good indicator for the local myelin health status.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: de Vito
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tonazzini
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cecchini
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Piazza
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000379:methods*