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NeuroScience Associates

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS/Lou Gerhig’s Disease)

See Table of Stains appropriate for ALS

 

Overview

Also referred to as Lou Gerhig’s Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease affecting nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord, and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death, resulting in a loss of the brain’s ability to initiate and control muscle movement.

Rodent Spinal Cords:  Spinal cord tissue of animal models is commonly used in ALS research. There are several approaches NSA employs in processing spinal cord tissue.

40 Rodent Cords
Transverse/CoronalUp to 40 spinal cords are co-embedded and appear
on each MultiCord® slide section.

8 Rodent Cords
Transverse/LongitudinalUp to 8 spinal cords are co-embedded and appear
on  each MultiCord® slide section.

Human Tissue:  NSA processes large format sections, as seen below, providing a unique opportunity to assess large contiguous cross-sections of tissue. NSA also processes multiple smaller samples from one or more spinal cords using MultiCord® Technology. The standard NSA practice of encasing the spinal cord tissue in gelatin provides a significant aid in the handling of tissue sections resulting in an improved final product.

Multiple-Embedded Human Spinal Cords

ChAT IHC shown in longitudinal plane of mouse spinal cord, 2x.

ChAT Motor Neuron Marker

ChAT IHC shown in coronal mouse spinal cord to detect motor neuron cells.

ChAT IHC in mouse spinal cord magnified to 10x to show details.

Ubiquitin in SOD1 Mouse Model

Ubiquitin can help identify abnormal accumulations
of this protein inside the cells, indicating a disease process.
mouse spinal cord, horizontal

Ubiquitin, mouse sagittal spinal cord, 10x

Ubiquitin, mouse sagittal spinal cord, 20x

Ubiquitin, mouse spinal cord, 40x

 

Amino Cupric Silver Degeneration Stain

Amino Cupric Silver stain in SOD ALS mouse spinal cord model is shown below. The black “squiggles” are blood vessels and the fine black lines indicate bundles of degenerated axons.

90 day old SOD1 mouse model, 4x

90 day old SOD1 mouse model, 10x

120 day old SOD1 mouse model, 4x

120 day old SOD1 mouse sagittal spinal cord model, 10x

If you would like further information about how NSA can assist you with your research, please contact us or refer to our catalog.