Characterization of the Mechanical Properties of Mouse Brain Tissue Using Atomic Force Microscopy

Take a bioadhesive-coated dish with an immobilized mouse brain slice in a pre-warmed medium.

Place it on a pre-warmed atomic force microscope or AFM stage to maintain physiological conditions.

Apply a drop of the medium onto the spherical bead of the AFM cantilever positioned over the AFM head.

Next, reposition the AFM head and submerge it in the medium.

Align the laser beam onto the cantilever to track cantilever deflection using the photodiode.

Lower the AFM probe until it contacts the brain tissue surface.

For creep-compliance measurement, program the AFM probe to apply a constant force.

This force causes the tissue to deform while the cantilever bends. The laser detects cantilever

bending and measures tissue stiffness.

For force relaxation measurement, indent the tissue to a fixed depth and maintain it.

The laser tracks cantilever bending to measure tissue resistance and relaxation over time, enabling precise evaluation of the tissue’s mechanical properties.

Carefully load an AFM probe with a nominal spring constant of 0.03 newtons per meter and a 20 micrometer diameter borosilicate bead into the probe holder. Place a brain slice mounted in a Petri dish onto an AFM stage-mounted heater t