History/Overview Flashcards
1
Q
What stain would you use to count cell density?
A
Nissl Stain
2
Q
Counting cell density with Nissl Stain
A
- Cell density means counting the number of cells in a given area of tissue
- You would need to get every cell in the area of interest stained so they can all be counted
- The Nissl will stain every cell body, not the axons or dendrites
- By contrast, the Golgi stain would only stain some of the cells, leading you to undercount the cell density
3
Q
What parts of the neuron does the Nissl stain stain and not stain?
A
- Stains the cell body
- Does not stain the axons or dendrites
4
Q
What stain would you use to get a detailed picture of a neuron’s architecture?
A
Golgi stain
5
Q
Seeing cell arcitecture with Golgi stain
A
- Since you want to see the entire neuron, this will dye a single nueron completely so it can be seen in detail under the microscope, but only a few neurons in your sample will be stained, not every single one.
6
Q
What theory did Cajal put forward?
A
Neuron Doctrine
7
Q
What theory did Golgi put forward?
A
Reticular theory
8
Q
Reticular Theory
A
Neurons communicate by continuity (i.e. their membranes are fused together into a reticulum)
8
Q
Neuron Doctrine
A
- Neurons communicate by contact, not continuity
- One cell is completely separate from the next and the communication occurs across a space between the two cells
9
Q
Who was proven correct (Cajal vs. Golgi)?
A
Cajal (although some aspects of Golgi’s Reticular Theory were also proven correct, e.g. gap junctions)
10
Q
A
