Oligomer sensitive in-situ detection and characterization of gold colloid aggregate formations observed within the hippocampus of the Alzheimer's disease rat.

In order to better understand the dynamics governing the formation of pathological oligomers leading to Alzheimer's disease (AD) in a rat model the present study examined the protein aggregates accumulating on gold colloids in the hippocampus. Sections of the hippocampus of the Long Evans Cohen's AD(+) rat model were mixed with gold colloids and the resulting aggregates were examined by Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) imaging. Compared to AD(-) rat tissues, the AD(+) rat hippocampal tissues produced a larger sized gold colloid aggregates.