High-throughput 3D whole-brain quantitative histopathology in rodents

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Pathology
• Biomedical Imaging

Background:

• Histology is crucial for studying brain structure and disease, but manual quantification is limited to small tissue samples.
• Current 3D imaging lacks quantitative methods for whole-brain cellular and pathological marker analysis.
• Analyzing limited sections restricts comprehensive understanding of brain-wide alterations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an automated, scalable method for 3D quantification of histopathological markers in whole rodent brains.
• To overcome limitations of manual analysis and enable comprehensive, whole-brain assessments.
• To provide a tool for characterizing animal models and evaluating therapeutic interventions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized block-face photography and serial histology.
• Developed and applied 3D-HAPi (Three Dimensional Histology Analysis Pipeline), an open-source image analysis software.
• Demonstrated the method using mouse models of Alzheimer's disease.

Main Results:

• Successfully quantified histopathological markers throughout entire rodent brains in 3D.
• Showcased the method's applicability in Alzheimer's disease models.
• Validated the potential for broad application in various brain disease models.

Conclusions:

• The proposed 3D-HAPi method offers a ready-to-use solution for automated, whole-brain histopathological analysis.
• This approach facilitates detailed characterization of animal models, evaluation of therapies, and validation of in vivo imaging.
• Enables precise anatomical correlation of markers across the entire brain, advancing neurobiological research.