SynBot is an Open-source Image Analysis Software for Automated Quantification of Synapses

Overview

Journal Cell Rep Methods

Specialty Cell Biology

Date 2024 Sep 10

PMID 39255792

Authors

Justin T Savage

Juan J Ramirez

W Christopher Risher

Yizhi Wang

Dolores Irala

Cagla Eroglu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The formation of precise numbers of neuronal connections, known as synapses, is crucial for brain function. Therefore, synaptogenesis mechanisms have been one of the main focuses of neuroscience. Immunohistochemistry is a common tool for visualizing synapses. Thus, quantifying the numbers of synapses from light microscopy images enables screening the impacts of experimental manipulations on synapse development. Despite its utility, this approach is paired with low-throughput analysis methods that are challenging to learn, and the results are variable between experimenters, especially when analyzing noisy images of brain tissue. We developed an open-source ImageJ-based software, SynBot, to address these technical bottlenecks by automating the analysis. SynBot incorporates the advanced algorithms ilastik and SynQuant for accurate thresholding for synaptic puncta identification, and the code can easily be modified by users. The use of this software will allow for rapid and reproducible screening of synaptic phenotypes in healthy and diseased nervous systems.

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