Alpha-synuclein oligomers are thought to be toxic mediators of Parkinson's disease and other alpha-synucleinopathies, but their histological detection in situ in diseased brain has been a challenge in the field for some time. Here we describe a method, the alpha-synuclein proximity ligation assay (AS-PLA), to detect alpha-synuclein oligomers in paraffin-embedded brain sections. Using AS-PLA previously unobserved alpha-synuclein oligomeric pathology is revealed.
Keywords: Aggregates; Alpha-synuclein; Oligomers; Parkinson’s disease; Pathology; Proximity ligation assay; Synucleinopathy.