Optical imaging reveals linked metabolic and oxygen changes in Alzheimer’s mouse brains

A study in Neurophotonics found that Alzheimer’s disease model mice show altered mitochondrial metabolism and lower vascular oxygen levels in the brain, linking energy production changes with oxygen use. Researchers combined two-photon fluorescence and phosphorescence lifetime imaging to measure NAD(P)H autofluorescence and oxygen-sensitive probe signals simultaneously in living mouse cortices. The Alzheimer’s model exhibited a higher protein-bound NAD(P)H fraction and reduced vascular oxygen partial pressure versus healthy mice. The findings suggest mitochondrial dysfunction and impaired oxygenation occur together, though results from mice do not confirm identical patterns in humans. The imaging framework enables concurrent in vivo study of these interconnected brain physiology processes.