What does the Nissl stain stain?

Nissl stain (e.g., cresyl violet, thionin, azure) stains nuclei acids (DNA and RNA). This stain is useful for viewing cell sizes and numbers.

What part of the neuron is stained with a Nissl stain?

nucleoli
The Nissl stain is most intense in nucleoli and in the rough endoplasmic reticulum of neurons. For myelinated axons in the nervous system, a variety of techniques selectively label the unique physical properties of the densely wound membranes.

What part of the neuron is stained?

Dendrites, as well as the cell soma, are clearly stained in brown and black and can be followed in their entire length, which allowed neuroanatomists to track connections between neurons and to make visible the complex networking structure of many parts of the brain and spinal cord.

Is Nissl a staining method?

The Nissl staining is a classic nucleic acid staining method traditionally used on nervous tissue sections. The active dye in the staining solution can vary, but toluidine blue or cresyl violet are common components. Nissl is also an outdated term for the ER.

Does Nissl stain glia?

First, the Nissl technique stains the entire population of neurons and glial cell types in the same section.

What are myelin stains?

LFB is a myelin sheath stain that stains phospholipids (the main constituents of the myelin sheath around nerve processes) blue. Luxor is the name of a city in Egypt where the blue dye is collected. The myelin-rich cerebral white matter is stained blue.

When using Nissl staining in the CNS nuclei get the following color?

blue purple
Nuclei and nissl bodies (rough endoplasmic reticulum) are stained blue purple with cresyl violet.

Does the Nissl stain label glia as well Why or why not?

Second, the Nissl technique stains differentially all cell types of nervous tissue allowing distinction and identification of all cells. These features make Nissl staining the most suitable technique for labeling neurons and glial cell types in stereological counts of entire nerve cell populations in the cortex.

What is the difference between the Nissl stain and the Golgi stain?

The Nissl and Golgi stains are stains for differentiating cell structures. Nissl stains RNA so cell bodies stain blue/purple. Ribosomal RNA also picks up the stain. Golgi stains the entire cell membrane black, yet only stains ~1 in 500 cells.