We are thrilled to announce that our team is embarking on a new study! Our PhD student, Joanna Macur, with the guidance of her supervisors, dr hab. Agnieszka Sergiel (IOP PAN) and dr Łukasz Paśko (University of Wroclaw), has begun laboratory work on her pilot project focusing on the bear brain.
Wild animals, particularly large terrestrial mammals such as the brown bear, are exposed to toxic substances and pollutants that adversely affect their health and fitness. Heavy metals, known for their neurotoxic effect, impact motor coordination, cognitive abilities, and brain size. Studies in mice and rats have demonstrated toxic effects at the tissue level, including demyelination, neuronal degeneration, and Purkinje cell death. While liver and kidney tissues are commonly analyzed in ecotoxicological studies due to e.g., its well-recognized accumulation rate of heavy metals, nervous tissue is less frequently studied. Our goal is to investigate whether any histopathological changes can be identified in the samples of brain medulla in relation to heavy metal concentrations, analyzed in collaboration with dr Maja Lazarus from the Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health in Zagreb, Croatia. Histological slides of nervous tissue will be prepared and stained using (1) haematoxylin and eosin (H&E), (2) Nissl’s method with cresyl violet, and (3) Luxol Fast Blue (for myelin).
This project is funded by the Internal Research Fund of the Institute of Nature Conservation of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Stay tuned for updates on our progress and findings!
by Joanna Macur