Nerve Flashcards
Nissl substance is present in…
neurons
A neuron is a…
nerve cell
Nissl substance is composed of..
rough endoplasmic reticulum
Nissl substance is demonstrated by which stain?
cresyl echt violet
Astrocytes are demonstrated by which stain?
Cajal
The preferred fixatives for sections to be stained with the Cajal technique is:
formalin ammonium bromide
Sections to be stained for myelin should be cut at:
10-15 microns
In the Holzer method, glial fibers are stained with:
crystal violet
A method that can be used to demonstrate senile plaques is:
Bielschowsky
Neuron cell bodies are primarily found in:
grey matter in the CNS
Spinal cord is an excellent control for which of the following techniques:
a. Bielschowsky
b. Weil
c. Holzer
d. Bodian
Weil. Spinal cords are excellent for myelin stains, as it shows sharp differentiation b/w grey and white matter.
The preferred fixative for the Bodian method is:
NBF
Glial fibers are stained blue by:
phosphotungstic acid-hematoxylin (PTAH)
Macroscopic evaluation can be used to judge the quality of which stains?
Weil and LFB. Myelin stains you can easily distinguish the different matters with the naked eye.
Which two solutions are used for differentiation in the Weil procedure?
Ferric ammonium sulfate and borax ferricyanide
Which reagents are contained in the staining solution used in the Weil method?
Ferric ammonium sulfate and hematoxylin
Which methods are used for demonstrating nerve cell processes?
Bodian, Holmes, Bielschowsky, and Sevier Munger.
T/F: Functionally, the autonomic nervous system is under voluntary control.
False.
T/F: A neuron has 1 axon.
True. They have on axon but can have many dendrites.
T/F: Nissl substance is composed of clumps of DNA.
False. Nissl substance is composed of rough endoplasmic reticulum which is RNA.
T/F: In the central nervous system, myelin is made up by the astrocytes.
False. Myelin is made up of oligodendria.
T/F: Ependymal cells are epithelial cells.
True.
T/F: Myelin is responsible for the color of white matter.
True.
Stains for the Nissl substance can be used to identify neurons in tumors.
True.
T/F: A colorless background indicates a problem in the cresyl echt violet stain.
False. In a good cresyl echt violet stain, the background SHOULD be colorless.
T/F: Peripheral nerve is a good control for bodian stain.
True. Peripheral nerve are presented longitudinally.
T/F: Copper is used in the Bodian impregnation solution to increase the differentiation between neural and connective tissue.
True. Copper is used to destain connective tissue, which will help with the differentiation between these two.
T/F: The Holmes technique is an argentaffin method.
False. It requires an external reducer, which makes it a argyrophil method.,
T/F: Prolonged washing of sections stained with PTAH will enhance the red staining of certain tissue components.
False. Components will lose red-brown color when washed with alcohol.
T/F: The Weil method uses both mordant and an oxidizer for the differentiation steps.
True. Ferric ammonium sulfate us differentiation with excess mordant differentiator and borax-ferricyanide is differentiation with an oxidizing agent.
T/F: Luxol fast blue is a water-soluble dye.
False. It’s alcohol soluble.
T/F: Gray matter is practically colorless in a correctly performed LFB stain.
True.
T/F: When used as a counterstain for LFB, cresyl echt violet must be used in an acid solution.
True. If not acidified, cresyl echt violet will stain the background as well as Nissl substance.
T/F: When the LFB is combined with Holmes silver nitrate, both glial and myelin are demonstrated.
False. Nerve fibers and myelin are demonstrated.
T/F: Aniline oil used in the Holzer technique is very toxic and rated by NIOSH as neoplastic.
True.
Bodian stained section shows marked precipitation on the sections. This could be prevented by:
using chemically cleaned glassware bc its a silver stain.
Bodian-stained section show light gray nerve fibers. One possible explanation is that the sections were left too long in:
oxalic acid. Must not be overtreated with this as it will ruin the silver proteinate reaction.
Sections stained with PTAH show blue glial fibers, but the neurons are unstained. One possible cause is that:
The sections were washed for too long before clearing and mounting. The alcohol will removed the red-brown color is left in too long.
Sections stained using the Holmes method show marked purple crystalline precipitate. This could be removed by:
straight aniline oil
Well-stained sections show blue-black white matter and brown gray matter. This indicates that the sections were
inadequately treated with borax-ferricyanide (which is the differentiation step)
LFB stained sections show dark blue gray matter and lighter blue white matter. This can most easily be corrected by:
continuing the differentiation step. Gray matter should be colorless.
Sections stained with LFB-cresyl echt violet technique show bluish purple myelin and a diffuse rose-purple background. This is due to:
not acidifying the cresyl echt solution.
Sections stained with LFB-Holmes silver nitrate show very pale blue myelin and gray axons. This is most likely due to:
the sections were cut too thin. (10-15 microns)
