How does Nissl stain work?

How does Nissl stain work?

The Nissl substance (rough endoplasmic reticulum) appears dark blue due to the staining of ribosomal RNA, giving the cytoplasm a mottled appearance. Individual granules of extra-nuclear RNA are named Nissl granules (ribosomes). DNA present in the nucleus stains a similar color.

Do rats have a cerebral cortex?

The rat is the most broadly used species in neuroscience research. The Cerebral Cortex of the Rat provides an easily accessible, single source of information on the rat cortex. The fourth section deals with topics related to sensory (visual, somatosensory auditory, and gustatorial) cortex.

What does nissl stain react with?

The Nissl stain reacts with most of the cells in a brain slice (both neurons and glial cells), so it is not great for seeing the detailed morphology of a single neuron. The result is that the morphology of the cells can be clearly seen without contamination from nearby dendrites from other cells.

What is the function cerebrum?

The largest part of the brain, the cerebrum initiates and coordinates movement and regulates temperature. Other areas of the cerebrum enable speech, judgment, thinking and reasoning, problem-solving, emotions and learning.

Why is a nissl stain useful?

Nissl-staining is a widely used method to study morphology and pathology of neural tissue. The described method facilitates the mapping of immunocytochemical signals and makes possible the light microscopic examination of the innervation of neurons identified by their nuclear protein content.

What is GREY matter vs white matter?

The gray matter is the areas where the actual “processing” is done whereas the white matter provides the communication between different gray matter areas and between the gray matter and the rest of the body. The neurons in the gray matter consist of neuronal cell bodies and their dendrites.

What does Nissl stain react with?

How is the Nissl stain used in brain imaging?

Brain Imaging, Methods Answer: The Nissl stain is an imaging technique performed on fixed tissue that stains genetic material. One of the oldest methods of neuronal imaging, the Nissl stain uses cresyl violet acetate or toluidine blue to permanently stain genetic material.

Why is Cresyl violet used to stain the brain?

Staining a brain section with cresyl violet reveals more structure (Figure 3). The Nissl substance (rough endoplasmic reticulum) is darkly-stained by cresyl violet, hence the term Nissl stain. In Nissl-stained sections the cell bodies of neurons, which contain a lot of rough endoplasmic reticulum, appear as dark granules at low magnification.

What are the disadvantages of using a Nissl stain?

The major disadvantage of using a cresyl violet Nissl stain is that the detailed morphology of the cell is not stained. Axons, dendritic processes, and the majority of the cytoplasm is low in genetic material.

Which is better a Golgi stain or a Nissl stain?

Following a Nissl stain, the cell bodies of a densely branched Purkinje cell and a long and thin bipolar cell would appear similar: only the nucleus and rough endoplasmic reticulum would take up the stain. A Golgi stain will be better for visualizing the morphology of a cell.