ABSTRACT
Proteomic analysis of brain tissue is becoming an integral component of neuroscience research. A proteomic analysis typically involves protein separation, protein identification, and protein characterization. Global characterization of proteins is providing new insights into biological structures such as synapses, axons, and dendrites. Additionally, proteomics has been applied in the investigation of various neurological disorders and has resulted in the detection and identification of a large number of disease-related proteins. The field of neuroproteomics faces special challenges given the complex cellular and subcellular architecture of the brain including sample preparation and limited sample amounts. This chapter presents an overview of current separation-based proteomic technologies, and the advantages and disadvantages of these technologies, and reviews the recent use of these approaches in neuroscience research.
