Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Evaluation of Hemisphere Lateralization with Bilateral Local Field Potential Recording in Secondary Motor Cortex of Mice
Published on: July 31, 2019
Proteomics reveal rat hippocampal lateral asymmetry
A Samara1, K Vougas, A Papadopoulou
1Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (BRFAA), Clinical Research Centre, Laboratory of Endocrinology and Metabolism, 4 Soranou Efesiou Street, Athens, Greece. asamara@bioacademy.gr
This study reveals significant molecular differences between the left and right rat hippocampus, identifying distinct protein profiles related to energy metabolism and cellular function. These findings highlight brain lateralization at a molecular level, offering insights into brain asymmetry.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
- Proteomics
Background:
- Brain laterality, or asymmetry, is a known phenomenon in both animals and humans, observable structurally, functionally, and behaviorally.
- While macroscopic brain asymmetries are often subtle, microscopic and molecular differences may underlie these variations.
- The hippocampus, a key brain region for memory and learning, is a focus for understanding brain lateralization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate brain lateralization at a molecular level within the hippocampus of young adult male rats.
- To identify differential protein expression between the left and right hippocampi using a high-throughput proteomic approach.
Main Methods:
- Proteomic analysis combining 2-D PAGE and Mass Spectrometry (MS) was employed to compare protein expression in left and right hippocampi.
- Differential protein expression was quantified, and specific proteins were validated using immunoblotting.
Main Results:
- Approximately eighty proteins showed quantitative differences between the right hippocampus (RH) and left hippocampus (LH).
- The RH exhibited higher abundance of metabolic enzymes involved in cellular energy metabolism compared to the LH.
- The LH showed higher concentrations of astrocyte-associated proteins, while the RH had higher levels of proteins like Dynamin-1, DRP2, and synapsin-1.
Conclusions:
- Significant molecular lateralization exists in the rat hippocampus, with distinct protein expression patterns in the left and right sides.
- These molecular asymmetries involve proteins related to energy metabolism, cell metabolism, stress response, and cytoskeleton.
- This study provides a foundation for future research correlating molecular, neuroimaging, and functional data to understand brain lateralization and its implications.
