A method for keeping human brain slices viable for up to 48 hours has been developed. According to researchers from Lund University of Sweden, traditional methods only allow for 12 hours of analysis before the structure of the cells started to break down. Details on the study, which sought to validate novel treatment strategies for epilepsy, were published earlier this week in Scientific Reports.
"Being able to study donated brain tissue from patients who are treated surgically is a great opportunity for us in our search for new drugs. But we haven't had a lot of time. From the moment we receive the donated tissue after surgery, we've only had 12 hours to register and record what happens in the cells before the viability and structure of the cells are affected," says My Andersson, corresponding author.
The novel protocol uses a dual-flow chamber, which allows for microscopic visualization of individual neurons with a submerged objective for whole-cell patch-clamp recordings. The team concluded that the new approach is a favorable platform for pre-screening of novel therapeutic approaches, particularly those that require longer observation times.
"The tissue samples allow us to map proteins and identify which interactions are important for brain communication during epileptic seizures. For example, could it be that the seizures in patients who do not respond to drugs are so severe that they cannot be chemically interrupted? Or does it depend on the actual transport of drugs to the brain? We hope that this new method will help us answer such questions," adds Andersson.
The method can also be used by researchers in other fields who are studying human brain tissue. The next step for Andersson and her colleagues will be to test new epilepsy treatment options to see whether they can counteract seizure-like activity in human brain tissue.