New Technique Offers Dynamic Insights into Myelin Pathology

Dynamic imaging of myelin pathology in physiologically preserved human brain tissue using third harmonic generation microscopy

Researchers from Amsterdam UMC (University Medical Center), Vrije University, the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands and Nankai University in China have unveiled a groundbreaking imaging technique that promises to revolutionize the study of myelin pathology in human brain tissue. The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, introduces Third Harmonic Generation (THG) Microscopy as a novel method to visualize myelin without the need for labels.

The technique was tested on brain tissue from epilepsy surgery and post-mortem donors, maintaining viability through slice culture protocols.

Imaging was performed using the VALO femtosecond pulsed 1050 nm laser to generate second harmonic generation (SHG) and third harmonic generation (THG) signals directly from myelin and axon-like structures without the need to add any labels.

The researchers successfully visualized myelin and lipid bodies, detecting subtle changes in myelin morphology, including swellings and blisters, particularly in multiple sclerosis (MS) tissue.

Myelin pathology is known to play a central role in disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS) among others. Despite this, the pathological mechanisms underlying these conditions are often difficult to unravel.

This breakthrough offers a sensitive tool for investigating myelin-related disorders, thus paving the way for future research and potential treatments.