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Guimarães DM, Valério-Gomes B, Vianna-Barbosa RJ, Oliveira W, Neves GÂ, Tovar-Moll F, Lent R. Social isolation leads to mild social recognition impairment and losses in brain cellularity. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:2051-2066. [PMID: 37690044 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02705-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
Chronic social stress is a significant risk factor for several neuropsychiatric disorders, mainly major depressive disorder (MDD). In this way, patients with clinical depression may display many symptoms, including disrupted social behavior and anxiety. However, like many other psychiatric diseases, MDD has a very complex etiology and pathophysiology. Because social isolation is one of the multiple depression-inducing factors in humans, this study aims to understand better the link between social stress and MDD using an animal model based on social isolation after weaning, which is known to produce social stress in mice. We focused on cellular composition and white matter integrity to establish possible links with the abnormal social behavior that rodents isolated after weaning displayed in the three-chamber social approach and recognition tests. We used the isotropic fractionator method to assess brain cellularity, which allows us to robustly estimate the number of oligodendrocytes and neurons in dissected brain regions. In addition, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was employed to analyze white matter microstructure. Results have shown that post-weaning social isolation impairs social recognition and reduces the number of neurons and oligodendrocytes in important brain regions involved in social behavior, such as the anterior neocortex and the olfactory bulb. Despite the limitations of animal models of psychological traits, evidence suggests that behavioral impairments observed in patients might have similar biological underpinnings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Menezes Guimarães
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
| | - Bruna Valério-Gomes
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry Leopoldo de Meis, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Washington Oliveira
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Gilda Ângela Neves
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Roberto Lent
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- D'Or Institute of Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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2
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Castro-Fonseca E, Rosa B, Silva VR, Andrade CV, Praxedes I, Guastavino AB, Esteves CG, Chalfun G, Prata-Barbosa A, Chimelli L, Garcez PP, Lent R. Pronounced decline of absolute cell numbers in the brain of a newborn with congenital syphilis. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2023; 82:887-890. [PMID: 37550256 DOI: 10.1093/jnen/nlad062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Emily Castro-Fonseca
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Barbara Rosa
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Viviane R Silva
- Fernandes Figueira Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Cecilia V Andrade
- Fernandes Figueira Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Inês Praxedes
- Department of Pathology, Maternity School, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Andréa B Guastavino
- Department of Neonatology, Maternity School, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Claudia G Esteves
- Department of Neonatology, Maternity School, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Georgia Chalfun
- Department of Neonatology, Maternity School, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Arnaldo Prata-Barbosa
- Department of Neonatology, Maternity School, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Department of Pediatrics, D'Or Institute for Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Leila Chimelli
- Laboratory of Neuropathology, Rio de Janeiro State Brain Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Patricia P Garcez
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Roberto Lent
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- D'Or Institute for Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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3
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Castro-Fonseca E, Morais V, da Silva CG, Wollner J, Freitas J, Mello-Neto AF, Oliveira LE, de Oliveira VC, Leite REP, Alho AT, Rodriguez RD, Ferretti-Rebustini REL, Suemoto CK, Jacob-Filho W, Nitrini R, Pasqualucci CA, Grinberg LT, Tovar-Moll F, Lent R. The influence of age and sex on the absolute cell numbers of the human brain cerebral cortex. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:8654-8666. [PMID: 37106573 PMCID: PMC10321098 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The human cerebral cortex is one of the most evolved regions of the brain, responsible for most higher-order neural functions. Since nerve cells (together with synapses) are the processing units underlying cortical physiology and morphology, we studied how the human neocortex is composed regarding the number of cells as a function of sex and age. We used the isotropic fractionator for cell quantification of immunocytochemically labeled nuclei from the cerebral cortex donated by 43 cognitively healthy subjects aged 25-87 years old. In addition to previously reported sexual dimorphism in the medial temporal lobe, we found more neurons in the occipital lobe of men, higher neuronal density in women's frontal lobe, but no sex differences in the number and density of cells in the other lobes and the whole neocortex. On average, the neocortex has ~10.2 billion neurons, 34% in the frontal lobe and the remaining 66% uniformly distributed among the other 3 lobes. Along typical aging, there is a loss of non-neuronal cells in the frontal lobe and the preservation of the number of neurons in the cortex. Our study made possible to determine the different degrees of modulation that sex and age evoke on cortical cellularity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Castro-Fonseca
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- D’Or Institute for Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Viviane Morais
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Camila G da Silva
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Juliana Wollner
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Jaqueline Freitas
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Arthur F Mello-Neto
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Luiz E Oliveira
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Vilson C de Oliveira
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Renata E P Leite
- Biobank for Aging Studies, LIM 22, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
- Laboratory of Medical Research in Aging (LIM-66), University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ana T Alho
- Biobank for Aging Studies, LIM 22, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Roberta D Rodriguez
- Biobank for Aging Studies, LIM 22, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Pathology, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Renata E L Ferretti-Rebustini
- Biobank for Aging Studies, LIM 22, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, University of São Paulo School of Nursing, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Claudia K Suemoto
- Biobank for Aging Studies, LIM 22, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
- Laboratory of Medical Research in Aging (LIM-66), University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Wilson Jacob-Filho
- Biobank for Aging Studies, LIM 22, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
- Laboratory of Medical Research in Aging (LIM-66), University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Nitrini
- Biobank for Aging Studies, LIM 22, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Neurology, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Carlos A Pasqualucci
- Biobank for Aging Studies, LIM 22, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Pathology, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lea T Grinberg
- Biobank for Aging Studies, LIM 22, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Pathology, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Fernanda Tovar-Moll
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- D’Or Institute for Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Roberto Lent
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- D’Or Institute for Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- National Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Ministry of Science and Technology, São Paulo, Brazil
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de Morais VAC, de Oliveira-Pinto AV, Mello Neto AF, Freitas JS, da Silva MM, Suemoto CK, Leite RP, Grinberg LT, Jacob-Filho W, Pasqualucci C, Nitrini R, Caramelli P, Lent R. Resilience of Neural Cellularity to the Influence of Low Educational Level. Brain Sci 2023; 13:brainsci13010104. [PMID: 36672086 PMCID: PMC9857353 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13010104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Education is believed to contribute positively to brain structure and function, as well as to cognitive reserve. One of the brain regions most impacted by education is the medial temporal lobe (MTL), a region that houses the hippocampus, which has an important role in learning processes and in consolidation of memories, and is also known to undergo neurogenesis in adulthood. We aimed to investigate the influence of education on the absolute cell numbers of the MTL (comprised by the hippocampal formation, amygdala, and parahippocampal gyrus) of men without cognitive impairment. METHODS The Isotropic Fractionator technique was used to allow the anisotropic brain tissue to be transformed into an isotropic suspension of nuclei, and therefore assess the absolute cell composition of the MTL. We dissected twenty-six brains from men aged 47 to 64 years, with either low or high education. RESULTS A significant difference between groups was observed in brain mass, but not in MTL mass. No significant difference was found between groups in the number of total cells, number of neurons, and number of non-neuronal cells. Regression analysis showed that the total number of cells, number of neurons, and number of non-neuronal cells in MTL were not affected by education. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate a resilience of the absolute cellular composition of the MTL of typical men to low schooling, suggesting that the cellularity of brain regions is not affected by formal education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviane A. Carvalho de Morais
- Neuroplasticity Laboratory, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Ana V. de Oliveira-Pinto
- Neuroplasticity Laboratory, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Arthur F. Mello Neto
- Neuroplasticity Laboratory, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Jaqueline S. Freitas
- Neuroplasticity Laboratory, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
| | - Magnólia M. da Silva
- Biobank for Aging Studies, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-903, SP, Brazil
| | - Claudia Kimie Suemoto
- Biobank for Aging Studies, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-903, SP, Brazil
| | - Renata P. Leite
- Biobank for Aging Studies, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-903, SP, Brazil
| | - Lea T. Grinberg
- Memory and Aging Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Wilson Jacob-Filho
- Biobank for Aging Studies, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-903, SP, Brazil
- Laboratory of Medical Research in Aging (LIM-66), Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-903, SP, Brazil
| | - Carlos Pasqualucci
- Biobank for Aging Studies, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-903, SP, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Nitrini
- Biobank for Aging Studies, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-903, SP, Brazil
| | - Paulo Caramelli
- Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology Research Group, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 30130-100, MG, Brazil
| | - Roberto Lent
- Neuroplasticity Laboratory, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, RJ, Brazil
- D’Or Institute of Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro 22281-100, RJ, Brazil
- Correspondence:
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Valério-Gomes B, Guimarães DM, Szczupak D, Lent R. The Absolute Number of Oligodendrocytes in the Adult Mouse Brain. Front Neuroanat 2018; 12:90. [PMID: 30425626 PMCID: PMC6218541 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2018.00090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 10/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The central nervous system is a highly complex network composed of various cell types, each one with different subpopulations. Each cell type has distinct roles for the functional operation of circuits, and ultimately, for brain physiology in general. Since the absolute number of each cell type is considered a proxy of its functional complexity, one approach to better understand how the brain works is to unravel its absolute cellularity and the quantitative relations between cell populations; in other words, how one population of cells is quantitatively structured, in relation to another. Oligodendrocytes are one of these cell types - mainly, they provide electric insulation to axons, optimizing action potential conduction. Their function has recently been revisited and their role extended, one example being their capability of providing trophic support to long axons. To determine the absolute cellularity of oligodendroglia, we have developed a protocol of oligodendrocyte quantification using the isotropic fractionator with a pan-marker for this cell type. We report a detailed assessment of specificity and universality of the oligodendrocyte transcription factor 2 (Olig2), through systematic confocal analyses of the C57BL/6 mouse brain. In addition, we have determined the absolute number (17.4 million) and proportion (about 20%) of this cell type in the brain (and in different brain regions), and tested if this population, at the intraspecific level, scales with the number of neurons in an allometric-based approach. Considering these numbers, oligodendrocytes proved to be the most numerous of glial cells in the mouse brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruna Valério-Gomes
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Daniel M Guimarães
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Diego Szczupak
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Roberto Lent
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,D'Or Institute for Research and Education, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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6
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BayesCCE: a Bayesian framework for estimating cell-type composition from DNA methylation without the need for methylation reference. Genome Biol 2018; 19:141. [PMID: 30241486 PMCID: PMC6151042 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-018-1513-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2017] [Accepted: 08/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
We introduce a Bayesian semi-supervised method for estimating cell counts from DNA methylation by leveraging an easily obtainable prior knowledge on the cell-type composition distribution of the studied tissue. We show mathematically and empirically that alternative methods which attempt to infer cell counts without methylation reference only capture linear combinations of cell counts rather than provide one component per cell type. Our approach allows the construction of components such that each component corresponds to a single cell type, and provides a new opportunity to investigate cell compositions in genomic studies of tissues for which it was not possible before.
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Milani C, Duranti S, Bottacini F, Casey E, Turroni F, Mahony J, Belzer C, Delgado Palacio S, Arboleya Montes S, Mancabelli L, Lugli GA, Rodriguez JM, Bode L, de Vos W, Gueimonde M, Margolles A, van Sinderen D, Ventura M. The First Microbial Colonizers of the Human Gut: Composition, Activities, and Health Implications of the Infant Gut Microbiota. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2017; 81:e00036-17. [PMID: 29118049 PMCID: PMC5706746 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00036-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 938] [Impact Index Per Article: 134.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The human gut microbiota is engaged in multiple interactions affecting host health during the host's entire life span. Microbes colonize the neonatal gut immediately following birth. The establishment and interactive development of this early gut microbiota are believed to be (at least partially) driven and modulated by specific compounds present in human milk. It has been shown that certain genomes of infant gut commensals, in particular those of bifidobacterial species, are genetically adapted to utilize specific glycans of this human secretory fluid, thus representing a very intriguing example of host-microbe coevolution, where both partners are believed to benefit. In recent years, various metagenomic studies have tried to dissect the composition and functionality of the infant gut microbiome and to explore the distribution across the different ecological niches of the infant gut biogeography of the corresponding microbial consortia, including those corresponding to bacteria and viruses, in healthy and ill subjects. Such analyses have linked certain features of the microbiota/microbiome, such as reduced diversity or aberrant composition, to intestinal illnesses in infants or disease states that are manifested at later stages of life, including asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, and metabolic disorders. Thus, a growing number of studies have reported on how the early human gut microbiota composition/development may affect risk factors related to adult health conditions. This concept has fueled the development of strategies to shape the infant microbiota composition based on various functional food products. In this review, we describe the infant microbiota, the mechanisms that drive its establishment and composition, and how microbial consortia may be molded by natural or artificial interventions. Finally, we discuss the relevance of key microbial players of the infant gut microbiota, in particular bifidobacteria, with respect to their role in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Milani
- Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Sabrina Duranti
- Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Francesca Bottacini
- APC Microbiome Institute and School of Microbiology, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland
| | - Eoghan Casey
- APC Microbiome Institute and School of Microbiology, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland
| | - Francesca Turroni
- Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
- Microbiome Research Hub, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Jennifer Mahony
- APC Microbiome Institute and School of Microbiology, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland
| | - Clara Belzer
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Susana Delgado Palacio
- Departamento de Microbiologia y Bioquimica de Productos Lacteos, IPLA-CSIC, Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain
| | - Silvia Arboleya Montes
- Departamento de Microbiologia y Bioquimica de Productos Lacteos, IPLA-CSIC, Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain
| | - Leonardo Mancabelli
- Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Gabriele Andrea Lugli
- Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Juan Miguel Rodriguez
- Department of Nutrition, Food Science and Food Technology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Lars Bode
- Department of Pediatrics and Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Mother-Milk-Infant Center of Research Excellence, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Willem de Vos
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Department of Bacteriology & Immunology, RPU Immunobiology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Miguel Gueimonde
- Departamento de Microbiologia y Bioquimica de Productos Lacteos, IPLA-CSIC, Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain
| | - Abelardo Margolles
- Departamento de Microbiologia y Bioquimica de Productos Lacteos, IPLA-CSIC, Villaviciosa, Asturias, Spain
| | - Douwe van Sinderen
- APC Microbiome Institute and School of Microbiology, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland
| | - Marco Ventura
- Laboratory of Probiogenomics, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
- Microbiome Research Hub, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
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von Bartheld CS, Bahney J, Herculano-Houzel S. The search for true numbers of neurons and glial cells in the human brain: A review of 150 years of cell counting. J Comp Neurol 2016; 524:3865-3895. [PMID: 27187682 PMCID: PMC5063692 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 552] [Impact Index Per Article: 69.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2015] [Revised: 05/13/2016] [Accepted: 05/16/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
For half a century, the human brain was believed to contain about 100 billion neurons and one trillion glial cells, with a glia:neuron ratio of 10:1. A new counting method, the isotropic fractionator, has challenged the notion that glia outnumber neurons and revived a question that was widely thought to have been resolved. The recently validated isotropic fractionator demonstrates a glia:neuron ratio of less than 1:1 and a total number of less than 100 billion glial cells in the human brain. A survey of original evidence shows that histological data always supported a 1:1 ratio of glia to neurons in the entire human brain, and a range of 40-130 billion glial cells. We review how the claim of one trillion glial cells originated, was perpetuated, and eventually refuted. We compile how numbers of neurons and glial cells in the adult human brain were reported and we examine the reasons for an erroneous consensus about the relative abundance of glial cells in human brains that persisted for half a century. Our review includes a brief history of cell counting in human brains, types of counting methods that were and are employed, ranges of previous estimates, and the current status of knowledge about the number of cells. We also discuss implications and consequences of the new insights into true numbers of glial cells in the human brain, and the promise and potential impact of the newly validated isotropic fractionator for reliable quantification of glia and neurons in neurological and psychiatric diseases. J. Comp. Neurol. 524:3865-3895, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jami Bahney
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | - Suzana Herculano-Houzel
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, and Instituto Nacional de Neurociência Translacional, CNPq/MCT, Brasil
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9
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Repetto IE, Monti R, Tropiano M, Tomasi S, Arbini A, Andrade-Moraes CH, Lent R, Vercelli A. The Isotropic Fractionator as a Tool for Quantitative Analysis in Central Nervous System Diseases. Front Cell Neurosci 2016; 10:190. [PMID: 27547177 PMCID: PMC4974250 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2016.00190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2016] [Accepted: 07/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
One major aim in quantitative and translational neuroscience is to achieve a precise and fast neuronal counting method to work on high throughput scale to obtain reliable results. Here, we tested the isotropic fractionator (IF) method for evaluating neuronal and non-neuronal cell loss in different models of central nervous system (CNS) pathologies. Sprague-Dawley rats underwent: (i) ischemic brain damage; (ii) intraperitoneal injection with kainic acid (KA) to induce epileptic seizures; and (iii) monolateral striatal injection with quinolinic acid (QA) mimicking human Huntington's disease. All specimens were processed for IF method and cell loss assessed. Hippocampus from KA-treated rats and striatum from QA-treated rats were carefully dissected using a dissection microscope and a rat brain matrix. Ischemic rat brains slices were first processed for TTC staining and then for IF. In the ischemic group the cell loss corresponded to the neuronal loss suggesting that hypoxia primarily affects neurons. Combining IF with TTC staining we could correlate the volume of lesion to the neuronal loss; by IF, we could assess that neuronal loss also occurs contralaterally to the ischemic side. In the epileptic group we observed a reduction of neuronal cells in treated rats, but also evaluated the changes in the number of non-neuronal cells in response to the hippocampal damage. In the QA model, there was a robust reduction of neuronal cells on ipsilateral striatum. This neuronal cell loss was not related to a drastic change in the total number of cells, being overcome by the increase in non-neuronal cells, thus suggesting that excitotoxic damage in the striatum strongly activates inflammation and glial proliferation. We concluded that the IF method could represent a simple and reliable quantitative technique to evaluate the effects of experimental lesions mimicking human diseases, and to consider the neuroprotective/anti-inflammatory effects of different treatments in the whole brain and also in discrete regions of interest, with the potential to investigate non-neuronal alterations. Moreover, IF could be used in addition or in substitution to classical stereological techniques or TTC staining used so far, since it is fast, precise and easily combined with complex molecular analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan E. Repetto
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, Department of Neuroscience, University of TurinTurin, Italy
| | - Riccardo Monti
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, Department of Neuroscience, University of TurinTurin, Italy
| | - Marta Tropiano
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, Department of Neuroscience, University of TurinTurin, Italy
| | - Simone Tomasi
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New HavenCT, USA
| | - Alessia Arbini
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, Department of Neuroscience, University of TurinTurin, Italy
| | | | - Roberto Lent
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Alessandro Vercelli
- Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, Department of Neuroscience, University of TurinTurin, Italy
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10
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Oliveira-Pinto AV, Andrade-Moraes CH, Oliveira LM, Parente-Bruno DR, Santos RM, Coutinho RA, Alho ATL, Leite REP, Suemoto CK, Grinberg LT, Pasqualucci CA, Jacob-Filho W, Lent R. Do age and sex impact on the absolute cell numbers of human brain regions? Brain Struct Funct 2015; 221:3547-59. [PMID: 26416171 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-015-1118-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2015] [Accepted: 09/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
What is the influence of sex and age on the quantitative cell composition of the human brain? By using the isotropic fractionator to estimate absolute cell numbers in selected brain regions, we looked for sex- and age-related differences in 32 medial temporal lobes (comprised basically by the hippocampal formation, amygdala and parahippocampal gyrus), sixteen male (29-92 years) and sixteen female (25-82); and 31 cerebella, seventeen male (29-92 years) and fourteen female (25-82). These regions were dissected from the brain, fixed and homogenized, and then labeled with a DNA-marker (to count all nuclei) and with a neuron-specific nuclear marker (to estimate neuron number). Total number of cells in the medial temporal lobe was found to be 1.91 billion in men, and 1.47 billion in women, a difference of 23 %. This region showed 34 % more neurons in men than in women: 525.1 million against 347.4 million. In contrast, no sex differences were found in the cerebellum. Regarding the influence of age, a quadratic correlation was found between neuronal numbers and age in the female medial temporal lobe, suggesting an early increase followed by slight decline after age 50. The cerebellum showed numerical stability along aging for both neurons and non-neuronal cells. In sum, results indicate a sex-related regional difference in total and neuronal cell numbers in the medial temporal lobe, but not in the cerebellum. On the other hand, aging was found to impact on cell numbers in the medial temporal lobe, while the cerebellum proved resilient to neuronal losses in the course of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana V Oliveira-Pinto
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Carlos H Andrade-Moraes
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Lays M Oliveira
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Raquel M Santos
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Renan A Coutinho
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ana T L Alho
- Brazilian Aging Brain Study Group, LIM 22, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil.,Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Brain Institute, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Renata E P Leite
- Brazilian Aging Brain Study Group, LIM 22, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil.,Discipline of Geriatrics, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Claudia K Suemoto
- Brazilian Aging Brain Study Group, LIM 22, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil.,Discipline of Geriatrics, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Lea T Grinberg
- Brazilian Aging Brain Study Group, LIM 22, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil.,Department of Neurology and Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | - Carlos A Pasqualucci
- Brazilian Aging Brain Study Group, LIM 22, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Wilson Jacob-Filho
- Brazilian Aging Brain Study Group, LIM 22, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil.,Discipline of Geriatrics, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Roberto Lent
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. .,National Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Ministry of Science and Technology, São Paulo, Brazil. .,Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Carlos Chagas 373, Sl. F1-31, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Brazil.
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11
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Andrade-Moraes CH, Oliveira-Pinto AV, Castro-Fonseca E, da Silva CG, Guimarães DM, Szczupak D, Parente-Bruno DR, Carvalho LR, Polichiso L, Gomes BV, Oliveira LM, Rodriguez RD, Leite RE, Ferretti-Rebustini RE, Jacob-Filho W, Pasqualucci CA, Grinberg LT, Lent R. Cell number changes in Alzheimer's disease relate to dementia, not to plaques and tangles. Brain 2013; 136:3738-52. [PMID: 24136825 PMCID: PMC3859218 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awt273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2012] [Revised: 08/04/2013] [Accepted: 08/04/2013] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is the commonest cause of dementia in the elderly, but its pathological determinants are still debated. Amyloid-β plaques and neurofibrillary tangles have been implicated either directly as disruptors of neural function, or indirectly by precipitating neuronal death and thus causing a reduction in neuronal number. Alternatively, the initial cognitive decline has been attributed to subtle intracellular events caused by amyloid-β oligomers, resulting in dementia after massive synaptic dysfunction followed by neuronal degeneration and death. To investigate whether Alzheimer's disease is associated with changes in the absolute cell numbers of ageing brains, we used the isotropic fractionator, a novel technique designed to determine the absolute cellular composition of brain regions. We investigated whether plaques and tangles are associated with neuronal loss, or whether it is dementia that relates to changes of absolute cell composition, by comparing cell numbers in brains of patients severely demented with those of asymptomatic individuals-both groups histopathologically diagnosed as Alzheimer's-and normal subjects with no pathological signs of the disease. We found a great reduction of neuronal numbers in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex of demented patients with Alzheimer's disease, but not in asymptomatic subjects with Alzheimer's disease. We concluded that neuronal loss is associated with dementia and not the presence of plaques and tangles, which may explain why subjects with histopathological features of Alzheimer's disease can be asymptomatic; and exclude amyloid-β deposits as causes for the reduction of neuronal numbers in the brain. We found an increase of non-neuronal cell numbers in the cerebral cortex and subcortical white matter of demented patients with Alzheimer's disease when compared with asymptomatic subjects with Alzheimer's disease and control subjects, suggesting a reactive glial cell response in the former that may be related to the symptoms they present.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Emily Castro-Fonseca
- 1 Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Camila G. da Silva
- 1 Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Daniel M. Guimarães
- 1 Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Diego Szczupak
- 1 Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | | | - Lívia Polichiso
- 2 Ageing Brain Study Group, Department of Pathology, LIM 22, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
- 3 Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | - Bruna V. Gomes
- 1 Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Lays M. Oliveira
- 1 Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Roberta D. Rodriguez
- 2 Ageing Brain Study Group, Department of Pathology, LIM 22, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Renata E.P. Leite
- 2 Ageing Brain Study Group, Department of Pathology, LIM 22, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Renata E.L. Ferretti-Rebustini
- 2 Ageing Brain Study Group, Department of Pathology, LIM 22, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
- 4 University of São Paulo Nursing School, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Wilson Jacob-Filho
- 2 Ageing Brain Study Group, Department of Pathology, LIM 22, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
- 5 Division of Geriatrics, University of São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Carlos A. Pasqualucci
- 2 Ageing Brain Study Group, Department of Pathology, LIM 22, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Lea T. Grinberg
- 2 Ageing Brain Study Group, Department of Pathology, LIM 22, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
- 3 Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | - Roberto Lent
- 1 Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 6 National Institute of Translational Neuroscience, Ministry of Science and Technology, Brazil
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