Science Spies: Amazing Bed of Rosettes photo captures beauty of dementia research

Friday, August 19, 2022

Amazing Bed of Rosettes photo captures beauty of dementia research

An incredible view of biological research has won the Alzheimer's Society's new competition, with a photo by Charlie Arber that shows a group of "blue" stem cells as they start to turn into "green" brain cell

Humans

17 August 2022

By Gege Li

Alzheimer's Society research - brain stem cells. Researchers like Dr Charlie Arber use stem cells - cells which don't have a?special function yet - to grow human brain cells in a dish. This can help to understand how dementia starts. This flower-like picture shows a neural rosette - a group of cells which are half way to becoming a brain cells. The green strands are cells turning into brain cells around the edges of the rosette. Copyright: Dr Charlie Arber, UCL. — “Bed of Rosettes” shows a group of “blue” stem cells, called a neural rosette, as they start turning into “green” brain cells.
Dr Charlie Arber, University College London

THESE astonishing images show the unexpected beauty of research into dementia, a debilitating condition that affects around 57 million people globally. They are entrants in Spotlight on Dementia, a contest organised by the Alzheimer’s Society, UK.

The aim is to challenge researchers to showcase their work as they explore everything from the impact of young-onset dementia to the potential involvement of the brain’s immune system in the disease.

The winning picture (above) was taken by Charlie Arber, based at University College London (UCL). His “Bed of Rosettes” shows a group of “blue” stem cells, called a neural rosette, as they start turning into “green” brain cells. Growing brain cells is vital for research into dementia.

Alzheimer's Society research - immune cells may be involved in Alzheimer's disease. Microglia act as our immune defense in the brain. They're really important to keeping the brain healthy, but Dr Zeinab Abidi, UCL, explores the potentially darker side to microglia - they might be involved in early steps of Alzheimer's disease and are therefore a target for treatments. Pictured here in donated brain tissue from someone with Alzheimer's disease, the repetition and uniformity of the microglia brings up images of patterned carpets seen on the Tube rather than immune cells in the brain. Copyright: Dr Zeinab Abdi, University College London. — donated microglia cells from a person with Alzheimer’s
Dr Zeinab Abdi, University College London

The image above by Zeinab Abdi, also at UCL, shows donated microglia cells from a person with Alzheimer’s. Microglia, a form of immune cell, help keep brains healthy, but they may also be involved in the early stages of the disease.

In the middle is an artistic commentary by Rachel Allen at the University of the West of Scotland on how dementia in younger people can lead to them being “frozen out” of their careers.

Alzheimer's Society research - people with young onset dementia can be 'frozen out'. Rachel Allen, who researches young onset dementia and careers, represents the "freezing out" that people with young onset dementia can experience. Work, once enjoyable and meaningful, is now cold and harsh. Stages towards retirement can't be negotiated as planned. Her image here depicts this - but the colourful letters signify that hope and purpose can continue. Careers continue to exist after a diagnosis. Copyright: Rachel Allen, University of the West of Scotland. — artistic commentary by Rachel Allen
Rachel Allen, University of the West of Scotland

Last up is an entry by Kirsten Williamson at the University of Southampton, UK, emphasising the resemblance of tree branches and a network of tau proteins, which malfunction in Alzheimer’s disease. It is a reminder, she says, of the beauty of neuroscience.