Considerations for Spatial Omics, Metabolite Analyses, and Tissue-Harvesting Artifacts

Within the emerging field of spatial biology, novel analytical technologies are increasingly demonstrated for mapping neurochemical changes in situ. These tools comprise spatial mass spectrometry (MS imaging, MSI), spatial transcriptomics using in situ sequencing, probe-based spatial omics, as well as laser microdissection and single cell-type isolation interfaced with either mass spectrometry or next generation RNA sequencing (NGS) for single cell-type analysis. These approaches significantly exceed the neurochemical methods that are commonly used with respect to molecular specificity and spatial precision. However, despite all these advancements, close attention has still to be paid to appropriate tissue harvesting and enzyme inactivation methods to avoid degradation of neurochemicals and the generation of artifacts, and because of euthanasia or postmortem ischemia. In this editorial, we aim to present the readership with considerations in lieu of emerging analytical and spatial molecular techniques, as well as highlight the relevance of appropriate tissue preparation. Importantly, we discuss different quenching techniques and their compatibility as well as limitations for novel spatial analyses that require morphologically pristine tissues.