MALDI Imaging Technology Application in Neurosciences: From History to Perspectives

Dynamic properties of the nervous system can now be investigated through mass spectrometry technologies. Generally, the application of these powerful techniques requires the destruction of the specimen under study/examination, but recent technological advances have made it possible to directly analyze tissue sections and perform 2-D or 3-D molecular ions mapping. We review from history to perspective matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) imaging technology and its application to the analysis of molecular distributions of proteins and peptides in nervous tissues of both invertebrates and vertebrates, focusing in particular on recent studies of neurodegenerative diseases, and early efforts to implement assays of neuronal development.