Mouse Brain Diffusion Network
The National Institute on Aging, in an effort to further Alzheimer’s disease research, has conducted a study in order to visualize the spread of Alpha-Synuclein (a molecule correlated with higher risk of Alzheimer’s when spread throughout the brain) in the brains of test subject mice.
First, the alpha-synuclein molucules were localized in the brain tissues of alzheimer’s-bred strains of mice (these strains exist for research purposes, and Cornell maintains several populations of such mice) and monitored to visualize the spread along neural pathways. This research concludes that the spread of the alpha-synuclein is non-random and proceeds along specific brain pathways.
It is hypothesized that the levels of alpha-synuclein-associated gene expression in both the pre- and post-synaptice neurons along the spread of alpha-synuclein along the synaptic connection. The researchers created a computer model of the brain system to model the spread of the alpha-synuclein along the observed brain pathways.
To put this in the context of the course: each neuron in the brain can be modeled as a node in a network, and each dendritic connection between neurons can be modeled as an edge in the network. This situation can be represented as a diffusion network because the alpha-synuclein will only diffuse to nodes with certain levels of protein expression, so only nodes with high payoffs for alpha-synuclein diffusion will propagate the molecule, and only nodes directly connected to another node “choosing” to express alpha-synuclein can adopt the alpha-synuclein “strategy” in this model.
Obviously the complexity of the brain makes this a very large-scale computer model and study of this requires more funding, which the NIA has granted to the project as of October 31, 2019. Hopefully this research will provide valueable information on the action of this alpha-synuclein molecule in such neurodegenerative diseases as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Reference: “Mouse Brain Model Maps Spread of Alpha-Synuclein in Parkinson’s Disease.” Featured Research. National Institute on Aging. 31 Oct. 2019. https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/mouse-brain-model-maps-spread-alpha-synuclein-parkinsons-disease
Figure of alpha-synuclein spread form injection site in mouse brain, Courtesy of Michael X. Henderson, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania