Triple Threat

This is a mind on the brink of collapse – a collection of brain cells, or neurons, developed in a lab from the stem cells of a Parkinson’s disease patient. These neurons produce the chemical messenger dopamine, and are the first to show signs of the disease onset. Since the patient carried three copies of a particular gene called synuclein – a trait strongly linked to Parkinson’s disease and the degradation of neurons that it entails – these neurons are already experiencing the early stages of damage. This model of dopamine-producing neurons is a platform to investigate the molecular processes underpinning the disease, and if one picture tells 1,000 words, then this image, a composite of 8,000 individual images and coloured according to depth from top right to bottom left, could have a very detailed story to tell about Parkinson’s disease and new approaches to treatment.

Image captured at the Micron Bioimaging Facility, Oxford

Written by Anthony Lewis

Anthony Lewis

Writer

Ant was the web editor in the early days of BPoD, and has since worked with the UK’s top science organisations as a writer and multimedia producer. He now splits his time between freelance work and managing multimedia at The Lancet.

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• Image from work by Nick Gatford
• Molecular Neurodegeneration Research Group, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
• Image supplied and copyright held by Nick Gatford