Abstract

TAMAYO-ORREGO, Lukas  and  TORRES-FERNANDEZ, Orlando. Protocol for the combination of neurohistological techniques on vibratome obtained sections. Biomédica [online]. 2011, vol.31, n.3, pp.444-450. ISSN 0120-4157.

Introduction. The histological study of the nervous system requires the use of special techniques. Currently, no methods are available to visualize simultaneously all the cellular constituents of nervous tissue. Objectives. A protocol was adapted for staining nervous tissue by modification of a formerly difficult procedure. Materials and methods. Slices of brain and spinal cord, 4 mm thick, were taken from adult mice, previously fixed by intracardiac perfusion with 4% paraformaldehyde. Vibratome sections were obtained with thickness of 15-25 µm. These were mounted on glass slides prepared with gelatin as an adhesive. The preparations were subjected to staining protocol Luxol Fast Blue-PAS-hematoxylin (LPH) combined with silver staining method (LPH-Holmes). Results. LPH technique yielded an excellent differentiation of gray and white matter in all regions of the nervous system. A panoramic view of the gray matter was colored pink in contrast to the myelinated nerve fibers and tracts which were light blue. The combination LPH-Holmes retained the staining characteristics but significantly improved the demarcation of axons and tracts. Conclusions. A protocol was standardized for the LPH and LPH-Holmes nervous tissue stains applied in combination to tissue slices obtained with a vibratome. The method was shorter, less wasteful and less expensive than the original and also better preserved the integrity of nervous tissue.

Keywords : neurons; neuroanatomy; nervous system; nerve tissue; histological techniques; myelin sheath.

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