Building brain network in electron density map determined by micro-CT

In macromolecular crystallography, an electron density distribution is traced to build a model of the target molecule. We applied this method to model building for electron density maps of a brain network. Human cerebral tissue was stained with heavy atoms [1]. The sample was then analyzed at the BL20XU beamline of SPring-8 to obtain a three-dimensional map of X-ray attenuation coefficients representing the electron density distribution. Skeletonized wire models were built by placing and connecting nodes in the map [2], as shown in the figure below. The model-building procedures were similar to those reported for crystallographic analyses of macromolecular structures, while the neuronal network was automatically traced by using a Sobel filter. Neuronal circuits were then analytically resolved from the skeletonized models. We suggest that X-ray microtomography along with model building in the electron density map has potential as a method for understanding three-dimensional microstructures relevant to biological functions.