How can I reduce debris upon single nucleus isolation?

Debris has many origins and causes which may be of cellular or acellular origin (such as components of the extracellular matrix). In any case, debris can occupy the microwells and contribute to background in the results. In all cases, running the samples through a cell strainer (30 µm) can reduce the debris. In the case of brain samples, debris is most likely myelin and there are specific kits that aim to get rid of myelin contamination (such as the bead-based Myelin Isolation reagents on the market). Using gradients such as Percoll®, Ficoll, OptiPrep™ or a modified sucrose gradient can also help. Finally, finding the right solution should be done on a sample-by-sample basis.