Regional expression of myelin basic protein across postnatal brain development of C57BL/6J mice

Healthy brain development hinges on proper myelination. Disruptions in this process result in a variety of neurological disorders. Myelin basic protein (MBP) immunohistochemistry is a key method for studying myelination and myelin-related disorders. Despite MBP studies dating back to the 1980s, there has been a surprising lack of detailed accounts of normal MBP progression across the developing mouse brain. This study presents a detailed spatiotemporal view of MBP distribution across 12 developmental ages from postnatal day 2 to 60. We used an optimized immunohistochemistry protocol to overcome the challenges of myelin's unique lipid-rich composition, enabling more consistent staining across diverse brain structures and developmental stages.