The 48th Annual Meeting of the Japan Neuroscience Society

Moderator: Akira Watanabe (CyberomiX Inc.)

Co-sponsored by CyberomiX Inc.

Our research has mainly focused on the histopathological analysis of postmortem brains from patients with neurodegenerative diseases. In recent years, however, we have incorporated spatial transcriptomics using the Visium platform. This enables us to analyze histological architecture and gene expression profiles together. This approach supports histopathological findings at the molecular level and allows for the characterization of cellular populations within localized pathological structures and lesions.
Moreover, hypotheses derived from transcriptomic data can be examined through complementary methods based on histological features. This creates a feedback loop between molecular and histological data. Although the spatial resolution corresponds to small clusters of a few to ten cells—posing certain limitations in capturing single-cell specificity—the combination with neuropathological insights provides valuable information even in postmortem brain studies.
In this presentation, I will show specific analytical examples to highlight the utility and future potential of spatial transcriptomics in neuropathological research.