Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam UMC, VU University Medical Center, de Boelelaan 1108, 1081HZ, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam UMC, VU University Medical Center, de Boelelaan 1108, 1081HZ, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
J Neurosci Methods. 2021 Jan 15;348:109004. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2020.109004. Epub 2020 Nov 23.
Over the last century, there has been great progress in understanding how the brain works. In particular, the last two decades have been crucial in gaining more awareness over the complex functioning of neurotransmitter systems. The use of viral vectors in neuroscience has been pivotal for such development. Exploiting the properties of viral particles, modifying them according to the research needs, and making them target chemically-specific neurons, techniques such as optogenetics and chemogenetics have been developed, which could lead to a giant step toward gene therapy for brain disorders. In this review, we aim to provide an overview of some of the most widely used viral techniques in neuroscience. We will discuss advantages and disadvantages of these methods. In particular, attention is dedicated to the pivotal role played by the introduction of adeno-associated virus and the retrograde tracer canine-associated-2 Cre virus in order to achieve optimal visualization, and interrogation, of chemically-specific neuronal populations and their projections.
在过去的一个世纪里，人们对于大脑的工作原理有了很大的了解。特别是在过去的二十年中，人们对神经递质系统的复杂功能有了更多的认识。病毒载体在神经科学中的应用对这一发展起到了关键作用。利用病毒颗粒的特性，根据研究需要对其进行修饰，并使其靶向特定化学神经元，已经开发出了诸如光遗传学和化学遗传学等技术，这可能是朝着大脑疾病的基因治疗迈出的一大步。在这篇综述中，我们旨在概述神经科学中一些最广泛使用的病毒技术。我们将讨论这些方法的优缺点。特别是，我们将特别关注腺相关病毒和逆行示踪剂犬源 2 Cre 病毒的引入，因为它们可以实现对特定化学神经元及其投射的最佳可视化和询问。
