In our lab, we study how neurite outgrowth and branching can modulate pain perception using in vitro models. It is well known that pain responses vary between males and females during aging, so we are trying to dig out the molecular basis of this process. Recently we studied the involvement of importin alpha-3 and nucleocytoplasmic protein in the late phase of chronic pain.
We studied importin alpha-3 mice that have a reduction in neuropath pain after spinal injury. After sciatic lesion, the missed target of fibers can cause neuropathic pain. Understanding how axon can regenerate and reach the correct target is a hot topic in the basic and the clinical research.
This protocol allows for the quantification of neurite outgrowth and branching on both face contrast and immunocytochemistry images. The quantification is not limited to single neurons, but neurite nets are also doable. And lastly, since the software is semiautomatic, it represents a useful time saving tool for analysis.
Measuring neurite outgrowth and branching allows for monitoring neuronal behavior in different conditions ranging from injury and regeneration to pathologies and drug efficacy. Hence, a standardized methodology for measuring these parameters is a key player in future research. Our future research, we focus on how importin alpha-3 with its neurite outgrowth and branching in different experimental setups ranging from dissociated cultures to whole explant cultures.
Understanding the molecular basis underneath axonal retargeting would be a breakthrough in the neuropathic pain field.
