Post-mortem fluorescence histochemistry of monoamine neuron systems in the human brain: A new approach in the search for a neuropathology of schizophrenia

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the post-mortem fluorescence histochemistry of monoamine neuron systems in the human brain. Several factors such as cause of death, prior drug treatment, and post-mortem time can be supposed to influence the amount of amines detectable by fluorescence histochemistry after death. Post-mortem time is perhaps the most important single factor. The large amount of lipofuscin in both neural and non-neuronal elements of the adult human brain is a special problem in fluorescence microscopy because of its strong yellow autofluorescence. While this fluorescence complicates interpretation of black and white microphotographs, the differentiation between specific para formaldehyde induced monoamine fluorescence and lipofuscin fluorescence can mostly be safely made out in the microscope on the basis of the colours, fading characteristics, morphologies, and sharpness of borders of the fluorescent structures,. There are no qualitative differences between chronic schizophrenic and non-schizophrenic brains using Falck–Hillarp fluorescence.