Some New Electron Microscopical Contributions to the Biology of Neuroglia: Introduction

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the submicroscopic morphology and function of glial cells published in the “International Review of Neurobiology.” Some recent contributions are related to the problem of fixation of the CNS. A new method of formalin perfusion that gives the best preservation of glial and nerve elements at the electron microscope level is presented in the chapter. For the development of this technique, a study was made on the water changes of the tissue after fixation and the components of the solutions for washing of the blood and fixation were so adjusted as to leave the water content of the brain unchanged. The effect of the perfusion with the washing solution was followed by EEG recordings. Excellent preservation of the glial cells and nerve elements in gray and white matter was observed. This method has permitted new observations on the disposition of the glial membranes. The advantage of this method resides in the use of a cheap, innocuous fixative, and a very simple modus operandi . The total preservation obtained permits a systematic study of any neuro-anatomical region and the carrying out of histophysiological or neuropathological experiments in the CNS. The chapter also discusses the problem of the extracellular space in the CNS and the discrepancy between physiological methods and electron microscopy.