Why examine tissues & cells?
tissue anatomy & cytoarchitecture; distribution of proteins within the tissue; and pathological changes associated with disease
Histological study of tissues is essential in:
clinical diagnostic neuropathology & basic and translational neuroscience research
What are the advantages of tissue sources in animal models?
- can study diff. stages of disease
- can study effects of specific mutations
- can assess therapeutic strategies
What are the limitations of tissue sources in animal models?
- may not fully recapitulate human disease
2. Ethical concerns
What are the advantages of tissue sources from post-mortem donor tissue/pathology samples/Surgical Surplus?
- Reduces need for animal research.
2. Arguably better for studying human disease
What are the limitations of tissue sources from post-mortem donor tissue/pathology samples/Surgical Surplus?
- Ethical concerns
- Limited tissue supply
- Low availability of early stages of disease
What are the aims for tissue preparation for histology?
- to preserve the tissue in as life-like a manner as possible
- to prevent irreversible cell/tissue destruction
What are 2 common methods of tissue preservation?
Chemical Fixation and Cryopreservation
What are some types of fixatives in chemical fixation?
acetic acid, formaldehyde, ethanol, glutaraldehyde, methanol, and picric acid
What would be the benefit and what would be the drawback of using Glutaraldehyde as the fixative?
It would preserve cellular structure/morphology best but would provide poor staining
What would be the benefit and drawback of using a fixative s/a methanol or acetic acid?
It would stain well, but not preserve the cell structure well
Which fixative is most commonly used and why?
formaldehyde, b/c it gives an optimal balance between morphology and stain quality
