Figure 7.

Mitochondrial morphology abnormalities in forebrain are exacerbated in mutant A53T-αSyn after neonatal cortical contusion injury (CCI). SOD2 immunostaining showing mitochondria in neonatal mouse cerebral cortex (A–C) and hippocampus (D–F) at 24 h after injury at postnatal day 7. (A–C) In cerebral cortex mitochondria in shams were fine and barely visible (by light microscopy) speck-like particles dispersed throughout the neuropil (A, arrows). In non-Tg mice after CCI clusters of larger swollen mitochondria were observed, (B, arrows), and in mutant A53T-hαSyn mice with CCI large swollen mitochondria were found commonly throughout the cortical neuropil (C, arrows). (D–F) In hippocampus swollen mitochondrial were most conspicuous in mutant A53T-αSyn mice with CCI (F, arrows) though some isolated cells appeared with clusters of swollen mitochondria in non-Tg mice with CCI. Scale bar A (same for B–F) = 10 μm. (G) Mitochondrial diameter measured (1,000x) in cross-sectional profiles in hippocampus and cerebral cortex at 24 h after injury at postnatal day 7. Values are mean ± SD (n = 10 mice/group). +p < 0.05, ^*p < 0.01, or ^**p < 0.005 compared to sham. (H) EM of ipsilateral cortical neurons at 24 h after sham or CCI procedure on mutant A53T-hαSyn mice. Hatched arrows identify the nuclear membrane. Open arrow (lower panel) identifies breach in the nuclear membrane of CCI mouse cortical neuron. Solid arrows identify cross-sectional profiles of mitochondria in the perikaryon. Mitochondria are swollen in the neuron of CCI mice. Scale bars = 1 μm.