Vibrational spectroscopy and multiphoton microscopy for label-free visualization of nervous system degeneration and regeneration

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articleContributedpeer-review

Abstract

Neurological disorders, including spinal cord injury, peripheral nerve injury, traumatic brain injury, and neurodegenerative diseases, pose significant challenges in terms of diagnosis, treatment, and understanding the underlying pathophysiological processes. Label-free multiphoton microscopy techniques, such as coherent Raman scattering, two-photon excited autofluorescence, and second and third harmonic generation microscopy, have emerged as powerful tools for visualizing nervous tissue with high resolution and without the need for exogenous labels. Coherent Raman scattering processes as well as third harmonic generation enable label-free visualization of myelin sheaths, while their combination with two-photon excited autofluorescence and second harmonic generation allows for a more comprehensive tissue visualization. They have shown promise in assessing the efficacy of therapeutic interventions and may have future applications in clinical diagnostics. In addition to multiphoton microscopy, vibrational spectroscopy methods such as infrared and Raman spectroscopy offer insights into the molecular signatures of injured nervous tissues and hold potential as diagnostic markers. This review summarizes the application of these label-free optical techniques in preclinical models and illustrates their potential in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders with a special focus on injury, degeneration, and regeneration. Furthermore, it addresses current advancements and challenges for bridging the gap between research findings and their practical applications in a clinical setting.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)219 - 235
Number of pages17
JournalBiophysical reviews
Volume16
Issue number2
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Mendeley 0da31587-23d2-3287-90b3-8dd71045aa54
ORCID /0000-0002-0633-0321/work/150329788
PubMed 38737209

Keywords

Keywords

  • Central nervous system, Injury, Label-free, Multiphoton, Nerve, Nonlinear microscopy

Library keywords