Neurotrophic Factors: Methods and Protocols

1. Neurotrophic Factors: An Overview

Stephen D. Skaper

2. Ocular Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) and NGF Eye Drop Application as Paradigms to Investigate NGF Neuroprotective and Reparative Actions

Paola Tirassa, Pamela Rosso, and Angela Iannitelli

3. Culture of Rodent Cortical, Hippocampal, and Striatal Neurons

Laura Facci and Stephen D. Skaper

4. Culture of Neonatal Rodent Microglia, Astrocytes, and Oligodendrocytes from Cortex, Spinal Cord, and Cerebellum

Stephen D. Skaper and Laura Facci

5. Central Nervous System Neuron-Glia Co-Culture Models and Application to Neuroprotective Agents

Stephen D. Skaper and Laura Facci

6. Preparation of Adult Rat Sensory Neuron Cultures and Their Application to Growth Cone Turning Assays

Christine A. Webber and Douglas W. Zochodne

7. Sensory Neurons from Tau Transgenic Mice and Their Utility in Drug Screening

Aviva M. Tolkovsky and Jack Brelstaff

8. Culture of Rat Mesencephalic Dopaminergic Neurons and Application to Neurotoxic and Neuroprotective Agents

Stephen D. Skaper, Massimo Barbierato, Vanni Ferrari, Morena Zusso, and Laura Facci

9. Culture of Neurons and Smooth Muscle Cells from the Myenteric Plexus of Adult Mice

Paola Brun and Hamid I. Akbarali

10. Astrocyte/Microglia Co-Cultures as a Model to Study Neuroinflammation

Laura Facci, Massimo Barbierato, and Stephen D. Skaper

11. Micropatterned Geometries Shape Oligodendrocyte and Microglia Plasticity

Cinzia Volont?, Adele De Ninno, and Susanna Amadio

12. Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cell Cultures: A Model to Screen Neurotrophic Compounds for Myelin Repair

Massimo Barbierato, Stephen D. Skaper, and Laura Facci

13. Cell Enumeration Assays: Application of the MTT and Sulforhodamine B Assays to Lipopolysaccharide-Stimulated Neonatal Rodent Microglia

Laura Facci and Stephen D. Skaper

14. Diolistic Labeling and Analysis of Dendritic Spines

M. Foster Olive, Armani P. Del Franco, and Cassandra D. Gipson

15. Culture of Mouse Giant Central Nervous System Synapses and Application for Imaging and Electrophysiological Analyses

Dimitar Dimitrov, Laurent Guillaud, Kohgaku Eguchi, and Tomoyuki Takahashi

16. Methods for Quantitative Analysis of Axonal Cargo Transport

Matias Alloatti, Luciana Bruno, and Tomas L. Falzone

17. Neuronal Cell Morphology in Primary Cerebellar Granule Cells Using High-Content Analysis

Nicholas Radio and Steven Frank

18. Nerve Growth Factor-Induced Angiogenesis: 1. Endothelial Cell Tube Formation Assay

Philip Lazarovici, Adi Lahiani, Galit Gincberg, Dikla Hacham, Arnon Fluksman, Ofra Benny, Cezary Marcinkiewicz, and Peter I. Lelkes

19. Nerve Growth Factor-Induced Angiogenesis: 2. The Quail Chorioallantoic Membrane Assay

20. Rat Pancreatic Beta-Cell Culture

Myrian Velasco, Carlos Larqu?, Carlos Manlio D?az-Garc?a, Carmen Sanchez-Soto, and Marcia Hiriart

21. Growth and Neurotrophic Factors in Embryonic Stem Cells

Micaela Pannella, Luciana Giardino, Laura Calz?, and Mercedes