title: Image processing methods to elucidate spatial characteristics of retinal microglia after optic nerve transection.
abstract: Microglia are the mononuclear phagocytes with various functions in the central nervous system, and the morphologies of microglia imply the different stages and functions. In optical nerve transection model of the retina, the retrograde degeneration of retinal ganglion cells induces microglial activations to a unique morphology termed rod microglia. A few studies described the rod microglia in the cortex and retina; however, the spatial characteristic of rod microglia is not fully understood. In this study, we built a mathematical model to characterize the spatial trait of rod microglia. In addition, we developed a Matlab-based image processing pipeline that consists of log enhancement, image segmentation, mathematical morphology based cell detection, area calculation and angle analysis. This computer program provides researchers a powerful tool to quickly analyze the spatial trait of rod microglia.
authors.affiliation: School of Computer Science and Technology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Yudong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedical and Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.|School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: School of Computer Science and Technology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Shuihua
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Xiang
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Key Laboratory of 3D Printing Equipment and Manufacturing, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210042, China.
authors.forename: Jiquan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.|GHM Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.|Department of Ophthalmology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, China.|School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.|Ministry of Education CNS Regeneration International Collaborative Joint Laboratory, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Kwok-Fai
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: So
authors.affiliation: School of Computer Science and Technology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China.|School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Ti-Fei
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Yuan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D058948:Cell Tracking; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D017628:Microglia / Q000473:pathology*; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000473:pathology; D020221:Optic Nerve Injuries / Q000473:pathology; D009928:Organ Specificity; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000473:pathology