Effects of laser induced shockwave on neurons from an Alzheimer’s mouse model

Neuronal responses to injury are of interest to the development of methods to mitigate damage and stimulate repair. We utilized a single pulse from a 1030nm laser to create a laser induced shockwave (LIS) to subject neuronal cells to injury and compare the effects of injury on neurons from an Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) mouse model and wild type (WT) mice. We found differences in the calcium response to LIS in AD versus WT neurons. Additionally, we found that LIS induced cell death led to a calcium elevation which differed from that in cells that stayed alive. Therefore, the calcium response can be utilized to separate dead cells from live cells.