Memory in color

In this brain slice captured by Jean David Randrianaly, β-amyloid deposits appear in yellow, outlining the silent contours of Alzheimer's disease.

These extracellular aggregates of misfolded proteins accumulate in the cortex and hippocampus, regions fundamental to memory and orientation.

Long discreet, these plaques gradually disrupt neuronal equilibrium: they interfere with synaptic communication, trigger chronic inflammation and promote degeneration.

But this image is more than just a pathological finding: it is also a witness to biological time.

Observing the distribution, density and evolution of these deposits is an attempt to capture the early stages of the disease, before the brain's architecture breaks down.