| Question | Answer |
| CNS | Central nervous system;
brain & spinal cord |
| PNS | Peripheral nervous system |
| Somatic nervous system is: | Voluntary |
| Autonomic nervous system is: | Involuntary |
| Gray matter contains: | Mostly nerve cell bodies |
| White matter contains: | Mostly nerve fibers |
| What are the 3 groups of nervous system tissues? | Neuronal cell bodies & processes,
glial cells & processes,
myelin sheath |
| Neuron is made up of: | A cell body (perikaryon) w/ nucleus, axons & dendrites;
large cells 4-135μm |
| The nucleus of a neuron contains: | Predominantly euchromatin & large nucleolus |
| Neuroglia is: | supporting network for CNS |
| 4 types of glial cells: | Oligodendroglia, astroglia, microglia, ependymal cells,
Mallory PTAH, Holzer |
| Oligodendroglia are: | small, produce myelin sheath,
most numerous type |
| Astrocytes: | Protoplasmic in gray matter,
fibrous in white matter,
support nerve fiber tracts, exchange fluids, gases,
form areas of gliosis,
Cajal |
| Nissl substance: | tigroid substance, chromidal substance,
basophilic in cytoplasm,
aggregates of rough ER,
Cresyl echt violets |
| Chromatolysis is: | Loss of Nissl substance due to damage/injury |
| Microglia are: | fixed phagocytic cells in brain & spinal cord,
rarely stain for |
| Ependymal cells are: | epithelial cells of ventricles & spinal canal,
form BBB |
| Myelin: | white fatty axon sheath,
lost in paraffin processing, only neurokeratin remains,
formed by oligodendroglia in CNS,
formed by Scwann cells in PNS,
Weil, LFB |
| In the event of damage or disease that breaks down the myelin sheath: | a simple lipid replacement is formed |
| Myelin is commonly stained for using what? | LFB & iron hematoxylin |
| Cresyl echt violet (Luna & Vacca) facts | To ID neurons, demo chromatolysis,
10% NBF
6-8 μm
QC: spinal cord |
| Cresyl echt violet (Luna) solutions | Cresyl echt violet +
dH2O +
Canada balsam-xylene |
| Cresyl echt violet (Luna) results | Nissl substance, nuclei: blue to purple -
background: colorless |
| Cresyl echt violet (Vacca) solutions | Cresyl echt violet pH 2.5 +
glacial acetic acid +
dH2O +
abs. alcohol |
| Cresyl echt violet (Vacca) results | Nissl substance, nuclei: blue-purple -
background: colorless |
| Holmes silver nitrate & Bodian methods purpose | Demo nerve fibers, nerve endings, & neurofibrils |
| Holmes silver nitrate method facts | 10% NBF
10-15 μm
QC: cerebral cortex |
| Holmes silver nitrate method solutions | AgNO3 w/ boric acid, borate, & pyridine +
AgNO3 +
gold chloride +
sodium thiosulfate +
hydroquinone w/ sodium sulfite (red.) +
oxalic acid |
| Holmes silver nitrate method results | axons, nerve fibers, neurofibrils: black -
other: light gray to blue |
| Bodian method facts | 10% NBF
6-8 μm
QC: peripheral nerve or cerebral cortex |
| Bodian method solutions | Protargol S (silver proteinate) +
gold chloride +
sodium thiosulfate +
copper ("destain" connective) +
hydroquinone+formaldehyde (red.) +
oxalic acid +
aniline blue |
| Bodian method results | nerve fibers, nuclei: black -
background: light gray or blue |
| Aniline blue for Bodian solution | aniline blue +
oxalic acid +
phosphomolybdic acid +
dH2O |
| Aqua regia solution | HCl +
nitric acid |
| Glassware for Bodian method must first be cleaned with? | Aquia regia,
extremely hazardous |
| Bielschowsky-PAS stain, microwave modification of Bielschowsky, & Sevier-Munger modification of Bielschowsky purpose | Demo presence of neurofibrillary tangles (disease) & senile plaques of Alzheimer's |
| Bielschowsky-PAS stain facts | 10% NBF
8-10 µm
QC: CNS tissue, plaques & tangles if possible |
| Bielschowsky-PAS stain solutions | AgNO3 +
ammoniacal silver 20% +
gold chloride +
sodium thiosulfate +
developer +
periodic acid +
Schiff |
| Bielschowsky-PAS stain results | neurofibrillary tangles, peripheral neurites of neural plaques: dark black -
axons: black -
amyloid, lipofuscin: magenta |
| Microwave modification of Bielschowsky facts | 10% NBF
8 µm
QC: CNS tissue, plaques & tangles if possible |
| Microwave modification of Bielschowsky solutions | AgNO3 +
ammoniacal silver +
sodium thiosulfate +
developer +
NH4OH |
| Microwave modification of Bielschowsky results | axons, neurofibrils: brown to black -
tangles, plaques: dark brown or black -
neuromelanin: black -
lipofucsin: brown or black |
| Bielschowsky developer solution | formaldehyde +
dH2O +
nitric acid +
citric acid |
| Bielschowsky ammoniacal silver solution | AgNO3 +
NH4OH |
| Sevier-Munger modification of Bielschowsky facts | 10% NBF
6-8 µm
QC: CNS tissue |
| Sevier-Munger modification of Bielschowsky solutions | AgNO3 +
ammoniacal silver w/ sodium carbonate +
sodium thiosulfate +
formalin |
| Sevier-Munger modification of Bielschowsky results | nerve endings, neurofibrils, neurofibrillary tangles, peripheral neurites of neuritic plaques: black |
| Mallory PTAH stain & Holzer method facts | Demo glial fibers, gliosis,
Holzer better,
10% NBF
6-8 µm
QC: cerebral cortex |
| Mallory PTAH stain solutions | PTAH +
Lugol Iodine +
sodium thiosulfate +
potassium permanganate +
oxalic acid |
| Mallory PTAH stain results | glial fibers, nuclei, myelin: blue -
neurons: salmon |
| PTAH solution | hematoxylin +
phosphotungstic acid +
dH2O
(best aged, ripen immediately w/ potassium permanganate) |
| Holzer method solutions | phosphomolybdic acid-alcohol (mordant) +
absolute alcohol-chloroform (differentiate) +
crystal violet +
potassium bromide +
differentiating soln. |
| Holzer method results | glial fibers: blue -
background: v. pale blue to colorless |
| Differentiating solution (Holzer) | aniline oil +
chloroform +
NH4OH |
| Weil method & all Luxol Fast Blue methods purpose | Demo myelin |
| Weil method, Luxol Fast Blue method, & Luxol Fast Blue-Cresyl Echt violet facts | 10% NBF
10-15 µm
QC: spinal cord or medulla
Regressive staining |
| Weil method solutions | ferric ammonium sulfate (excess mordant) +
alcoholic hematoxylin in dH2O +
Na borate-K ferricyanide (excess ox.) |
| Weil method results | myelin sheath: blue to blue-black -
background: light tan |
| Luxol Fast Blue method solutions | LFB in alcohol w/ acetic acid +
Li2CO3 +
70% |
| Luxol Fast Blue method results | myelin: blue -
background: colorless |
| Luxol Fast Blue-Cresyl Echt violet solutions | LFB in alcohol w/ acetic acid +
Li2Co3 +
70% +
Cresyl Echt violet |
| Luxol Fast Blue-Cresyl Echt violet results | myelin: blue -
Nissl substance, nuclei: violet |
| Luxol Fast Blue-Holmes silver nitrate method facts | 10% NBF
10-15 µm
QC: cerebral cortex |
| Luxol Fast Blue-Holmes silver nitrate method solutions | LFB in alcohol w/ acetic acid +
Li2CO3 +
AgNO3 w/ boric acid, borate, & pyridine +
AgNO3 +
gold chloride +
sodium thiosulfate +
hydroquinone w/ sodium sulfite (red.) +
oxalic acid |
| Luxol Fast Blue-Holmes silver nitrate method results | myelin sheaths: blue to green -
axons, nerve fibers: black |
| Luxol Fast Blue-PAS-hematoxylin is used to: | Demo myelin & basement membrane |
| Cajal stain facts | Demo astrocytes,
mostly replaced by IHC,
formalin ammonium bromide,
if fixed in NBF, wash & post-fix w/ formalin ammonium bromide
frozens 20-30 µm
QC: cerebral cortex |
| Cajal stain solutions | gold chloride w/ mercuric chloride (gold sublimate) +
sodium thiosulfate |
| Cajal stain results | astrocytes: black
background: pink |
| Wallerian degeneration | If axon sustains injury, axon & myelin below injury site are lost |
| Thioflavin S facts | To ID neurofibrillary degenerations
10-20% NBF
6 μm
QC: CNS w/ senile plaques |
| Thioflavin S solutions | potassium permanganate (quench autofluorescence) +
potassium metabisulfite (quench autofluorescence) +
H2O2 (quench autofluorescence) +
oxalic acid (remove potassium permanganate) +
acetic acid +
thioflavin S |
| Thioflavin S results | Alzheimer tangles, plaques, neuropil threads, senile plaque & cerebrovascular amyloid: bright green -
diffuse plaques & extracellular tangles: pale yellow green |
| Nerve fibers, nerve endings, neurofibril stains | Bodian, Holmes |
| Neurofibrillary tangles & plaques stains | Bielschowsky-PAS, microwave Bielschowsky,
Sevier-Munger Bielschowsky |
| Holzer crystal violet solution | crystal violet +
abs. alcohol +
chloroform |
| How to remove crystal violet precipitate? | Straight aniline oil |
| Argyrophilic reaction is one where: | Tissue can bind silver ions, but need reducing agent to reduce to visible silver |
| Argentaffin reaction is one where: | Tissue can bind silver ions & reduce to visible silver |
| Purkinje cells: | aka Purkinje neurons,
cerebellar cortex,
flask-shaped w/ many dendrites |
| PTAH stains tissue components: | Red-brown/salmon,
components lose color if prolonged water/alcohol washing,
dehydrate rapidly after staining |
| Page's Eriochrome Cyanine R purpose | Demo myelin |
