Regional variations in stiffness in live mouse brain tissue determined by depth-controlled indentation mapping

Abstract

The mechanical properties of brain tissue play a pivotal role in neurodevelopment and neurological disorders. Yet, at present, there is no consensus on how the different structural parts of the tissue contribute to its stiffness variations. Here, we have gathered depth-controlled indentation viscoelasticity maps of the hippocampus of acute horizontal live mouse brain slices. Our results confirm the highly viscoelestic nature of brain tissue. We further show that the mechanical properties are non-uniform and at least related to differences in morphological composition. Interestingly, areas with higher nuclear density appear to be softer than areas with lower nuclear density.