Mass Spectrometric Imaging of Brain Lipid Alterations Following Exposure to Cocaine

Although much research has focused on characterizing the various mechanisms involved in cocaine-induced alterations of brain function, few studies have assessed the effect of cocaine exposure on brain lipid metabolism. Interestingly, recent studies have demonstrated relationships between brain lipid alterations and neurological dysfunction, and here we have investigated the long-term effects of cocaine on lipidomic endpoints in the brain. Mass spectrometric imaging (MSI) of tissues permits structure-specific lipid analysis, which can provide essential information regarding the localization of lipid remodeling. We utilized MSI to investigate brain lipid alterations in Sprague-Dawley rats following non-contingent cocaine administration. Two-dimensional matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) imaging mass spectrometry analysis was performed on sagittal brain sections from saline- and cocaine-treated adult rats. 2-D MSI indicated specific lipid al...