Imaging of neuronal tissues by x-ray diffraction and x-ray fluorescence microscopy: evaluation of contrast and biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases

We have used scanning X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) with micro-focused synchrotron radiation to study histological sections from human substantia nigra (SN). Both XRF and XRD mappings visualize tissue properties, which are inaccessible by conventional microscopy and histology. We propose to use these advanced tools to characterize neuronal tissue in neurodegeneration, in particular in Parkinson’s disease (PD). To this end, we take advantage of the recent experimental progress in x-ray focusing, detection, and use automated data analysis scripts to enable quantitative analysis of large field of views. XRD signals are recorded and analyzed both in the regime of small-angle (SAXS) and wide-angle x-ray scattering (WAXS). The SAXS signal was analyzed in view of the local myelin structure, while WAXS was used to identify crystalline deposits. PD tissue scans exhibited increased amounts of crystallized cholesterol. The XRF analysis showed increased amounts of iron and decreased amounts of copper in the PD tissue compared to the control.