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A protocol to detect neurodegeneration in Drosophila melanogaster whole-brain mounts using advanced microscopy.

ABSTRACT: Drosophila melanogaster is an excellent model organism to study neurodegeneration. Assessing evident neurodegeneration within the fly brain involves the laborious preparation of thin-sectioned H&E-stained heads to visualize brain vacuole degeneration. Here, we present an advanced microscopy-based protocol, without the need for sectioning, to detect vacuole degeneration within whole fly brains by applying commonly used stains to reveal the brain parenchyma. This approach preserves the whole-brain architecture and enables rapid, reproducible, and quantitative analyses of vacuole-like degeneration associated with specific brain regions. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Behnke et al. (2021).

SUBMITTER: Behnke JA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8339312 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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