Dissection of Neurochemical Pathways Across Complexity and Scale

Abstract

The field of Neurochemistry spent decades trying to understand how the brain works, from nano to macroscale and across diverse species. Technological advancements over the years allowed researchers to better visualize and understand the cellular processes underpinning central nervous system (CNS) function. This review provides an overview of how novel models, and tools have allowed Neurochemistry researchers to investigate new and exciting research questions. We discuss the merits and demerits of different in vivo models (e.g., Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, Ratus norvegicus, and Mus musculus) as well as in vitro models (e.g., primary cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, and immortalized cells) to study Neurochemical events. We also discuss how these models can be paired with cutting-edge genetic manipulation (e.g., CRISPR-Cas9 and engineered viral vectors) and imaging techniques, such as super-resolution microscopy and new biosensors, to study cellular processes of the CNS. These technological advancements provide new insight into Neurochemical events in physiological and pathological contexts, paving the way for the development of new treatments (e.g., cell and gene therapies or small molecules) that aim to treat neurological disorders by reverting the CNS to its homeostatic state.

Keywords: C. elegans; Drosophila; biosensors; gene therapy; iPSCs; super‐resolution microscopy.