title: Method for three-dimensional visualization of neurodegeneration in cupric-silver stained serial rat brain slices.
abstract: The spatial distribution of neurodegeneration in brains is difficult to visualize when working from 2-D serial slices. In studies where repetitive operant behavior measurements are made over several weeks following organic solvent exposure, definitive evidence of degeneration in brain structures may have been significantly cleared by the time the tissue is prepared histologically. The only remaining evidence that injury has occurred may be nothing more than neuronal and cellular debris. By choosing stains that are specific for this type of residual and/or indicative of specific pathology, a 3-D representation of the spatial distribution of the neuronal and cellular debris fields within the organ can be highlighted and displayed. We present a method for visualizing the spatial distribution of neuronal degeneration that can result from low-level organic solvent exposure scenarios. A cupric-silver stain highly specific for neuronal degeneration is used to identify neuronal debris fields in 73 serial slices of brains of rodents that were exposed to toluene vapors. Serial brain sections stained with cupric-silver are scanned at 600 dpi using a gray-scale protocol. Using commercially available software, scans are assembled into 3-D images showing both topographical and internal anatomical details. The reassembled images are further processed into stereo pairs. Gray-scale scans are compared to the original sections to establish gray-scale ranges for healthy and damaged tissue and artifact staining.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Department of Anesthesiology, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78229-3900, USA. bunegin@uthscsa.edu
authors.forename: Leonid
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bunegin
authors.forename: Gleb P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Tolstykh
authors.forename: Jerry F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Gelineau
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D003300:Copper; D005260:Female; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016622:Silver Staining; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D014050:Toluene
chemical_list: D014050:Toluene; D003300:Copper