Paraffin embedding of the whole human cerebral hemisphere to assess arterial distribution territories

Authors

  • Mykyta Smirnov Université de Tours, INSERM, Imaging Brain & Neuropsychiatry iBraiN U1253, Équipe 3, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Tours, 10 boulevard Tonnellé, 37032 Tours, France; E-mail: mykyta.smirnov@univ-tours.fr https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9478-4787
  • Frédéric Andersson Université de Tours, INSERM, Imaging Brain & Neuropsychiatry iBraiN U1253, 37032, Tours, France https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2343-2450
  • Laurent Barantin Université de Tours, INSERM, Imaging Brain & Neuropsychiatry iBraiN U1253, 37032, Tours, France https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5119-658X
  • Igor Lima Maldonado Université de Tours, INSERM, Imaging Brain & Neuropsychiatry iBraiN U1253, 37032, Tours, France https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6037-0407
  • Christophe Destrieux Université de Tours, INSERM, Imaging Brain & Neuropsychiatry iBraiN U1253, 37032, Tours, France; CHRU de Tours, Le Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Tours, Tours, France https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5348-8052

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2023-6601

Keywords:

tissue processing, whole hemisphere, volume reconstruction, paraffin embedding, brain vascularization, arterial distribution

Abstract

Commonly used to decode the human brain's structural complexity, ex vivo dissection focuses on a given structure or region but cannot depict the whole brain organization (for example, its arterial distribution territories). Where dissection reaches its limit, the combination of tissue sectioning and 3D reconstruction may provide a volume for the assessment of structures from any view angle, following them dynamically to understand their spatial relationships. However, to produce sections, standard histological tissue processing protocols for paraffin embedding cannot be applied to a cerebral hemisphere as the latter is extensively larger than the conventional specimens. This paper presents a protocol for paraffin embedding of the whole human cerebral hemisphere and a method to reconstruct 3D volumes from serially sectioned and photographed paraffin blocks containing embedded hemispheres. Seven ex vivo whole human cerebral hemispheres were included, two were serially sectioned. Main cerebral arteries were injected with colored media to label arterial territories. A detailed description of every step, from tissue processing to image acquisition of cut blockfaces and volume reconstruction, is provided. Tissue processing and section cutting were reproducible, and the former provided complete and homogeneous paraffin wax impregnation. 3D visualization of the reconstructed whole human cerebral hemisphere successfully showed the distribution territories of the main cerebral arteries. In addition, we discuss the challenges we faced and overcame while developing the presented method and highlight its originality.

Published

2024-04-29

How to Cite

Smirnov, M., Andersson, F., Barantin, L., Maldonado, I. L., & Destrieux, C. (2024). Paraffin embedding of the whole human cerebral hemisphere to assess arterial distribution territories. EXCLI Journal, 23, 612–623. https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2023-6601

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Methods

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