Immunohistochemical detection of alpha-synuclein in unfixed human brain tissue

Abstract

In both research and diagnostics, immunohistochemistry is an essential method for assessing pathology in neurodegenerative diseases. Typically, at autopsy, one hemisphere of the brain is formalin fixed for sectioning and histochemical analysis, while the other hemisphere is flash frozen for biochemical studies. While this process ensures the generation of high-quality slides, it is important to assess the pathology of tissue near pieces used for biochemical analyses, since pathology burden can be unevenly distributed throughout the brain (Fig. 1). Here, we describe a method for assessing alpha-synuclein (αSyn) pathology in unfixed human brain tissue using a novel monoclonal antibody.