Phase Contrast Microscopy: Cytoarchitecture of Central and Autonomic Nervous Systems in Stained Thick Sections

Abstract

Fix, J. D. 1970. Phase contrast microscopy: cytoarchitecture of central and autonomic nervous systems in stained thick sections. Trans. American Micros. Soc. 89: 189-196. The study of Cresylechtviolett-stained sections of the brains of twelve primates with the phase contrast microscope provided a means for the selective demonstration of many cellular structures that could not be resolved with the same degree of detail which was possible when bright field microscopy was used, or when phase contrast microscopy was employed to examine unstained material. Included in this study were the brains of the following: Tupaia glis, Galago demidovii, Galago crassicaudatus, Lemur fulvus, Microcebus murinus, Callithrix jacchus, Ateles ater, Cercopithecus ascanius, Papio doguera, Pan troglodytes, Gorilla gorilla, and Homo sapiens. The detail of phase contrast image was greatly enhanced, so that cytoplasmic and nuclear structures of the perikaryon could be demonstrated to better advantage. Sections of the gastrointestional tract stained with hematoxylin and eosin revealed more detail of the autonomic plexuses. Due to optical path differences between the mesenchymal elements and the surrounding pale staining neuropil the microangioarchitecture can be sharply visualized and studied in great detail, especially in the cortex of the cerebellum. Viral inclusion bodies in certain nerve cells can be demonstrated to a much better degree than with conventional staining methods using bright field microscopy.