Leica MM NEURITE OUTGROWTH User Manual

Leica MM Neurite Outgrowth

Analysis Software Drop-in for Leica MM AF

• Cell-by-Cell measurement

• Multiparameter analysis

• Adaptive Background Correction™ for improved cell quantitation

Leica MM AF provides a platform for neurite outgrowth experi­ments including both image acquisition and image analysis.

Neurite outgrowth is the extension of axonal processes from the
cell body and is a natural part of early development. Inhibition or
stimulation of neurite outgrowth is implicated in a broad range of
CNS disorders or injuries including stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Al­zheimer’s disease and spinal cord injuries.

The Leica MM Neurite Outgrowth for the Leica MM AF is designed
to facilitate the analysis of neurite outgrowth experiments. This
straightforward application module helps standardize results com­pared to traditional methods.

powered by MetaMorph

The module has an intuitive interface to minimize setup efforts and
at the same time enables you to customize the settings and mea­surements to obtain the best possible results specic to the type of
cells used in your experiments.

With the exibility of the software, researchers are able to choose
whether or not to use nuclear stains. The use of nuclear stains en­sures a one-to-one correlation between nuclei and cell bodies.

The module includes Adaptive Background Correction™, adapting
the cell detection algorithm to the local intensity ranges outside
the cells to provide the most robust segmentation available. This
technique enables cell detection even with highly variable back­ground uorescence within a single image.

®

Image acquisition

Image acquisition with Leica MM AF. Top image:
neurites, bottom image: nuclear stain (optional).

Easy Configuration for analysis

Five easy steps allow you to get started in min­utes:

1. Select the image of interest

2. Choose the illumination (transmitted or uo­rescence)

3. Set classication limits for cell bodies

4. Select optional nuclear stain feature

5. Set classication limits for outgrowths

Interactive data display

Once the module is run, the Cellular Results ta­ble allows you to interactively view an individual
cell’s data. Clicking one or multiple cells in the
image highlights the data for the selected cell(s)
in the table.

Multi-parameter analysis

The application module can generate a number
of eld or cell-by-cell parameters. Field mea­surements include:

Measurement options include:

• Number of cells

• Total outgrowth

• Mean outgrowth per cell

• Total processes

• Mean processes per cell

• Total branches

• Mean branches per cell

• Total cell body area

• Mean cell body area

• Straightness of processes

• Cells exhibiting signicant growth

• Percentage of cells exhibiting signicant
growth

Image analysis

Each filament is assigned to a cell body. All the
filaments and cell bodies are then measured.

Customization through journaling

Journals are sophisticated and powerful macros
that record and perform a series of tasks without
the need for a programming language.The Leica
MM Neurite Outgrowth module can be incorpo­rated into a Leica MM AF journal to increase the
customization and automation of your analysis.

Powerful data export capabilities

All measurements can be directly exported to a
text le or Microsoft

®

Excel® for further analy-

sis.

“MetaMorph® is a Registered Trademark of MDS Analyti-

cal Technologies”

Data export for further analysis

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