Ascension St. Mary's Hospital 1 article published in JoVE Neuroscience Labeling and Imaging of Amyloid Plaques in Brain Tissue Using the Natural Polyphenol Curcumin Panchanan Maiti1,2,3,4,5, Alexandra Plemmons1, Zackary Bowers2,3, Charles Weaver5, Gary Dunbar1,2,3,4 1 Curcumin is an ideal fluorophore for labeling and imaging of amyloid beta protein plaques in brain tissue due to its preferential binding to amyloid beta protein as well as its structural similarities with other traditional amyloid binding dyes. It can be used to label and image amyloid beta protein plaques more efficiently and inexpensively than traditional methods.