Practical Rat Neuropathology

AbstractThe nervous system is composed of many anatomically and functionally interrelated parts, which tend to be sensitive to artifacts. Although specific design details for neuropathological evaluations in rats will be driven by the goals of a specific study, many features of tissue collection, processing, and examination will be common to all neuropathology evaluations. Cost-effective, high-quality evaluations can occur if rats are exsanguinated quickly, brains are removed with minimal handling to maintain structural integrity and avoid dark neurons, immersion fixed quickly and thoroughly, and trimmed and processed to consistently survey multiple areas. Most evaluations can be based on hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections; however, the availability of an epi-fluorescent microscope is useful for identification of neurodegeneration in hematoxylin and eosinstained sections, and special stains may be required to answer specific questions. The evaluation requires that both the technical staff and investig...