THE QUANTITATIVE HISTOCHEMISTRY OF BRAIN I. CHEMICAL METHODS

Abstract

Elucidation of the biochemistry of the brain is hindered by its extreme histological complexity. However, if it were possible to perform appropriate chemical analyses and enzymatic measurements on the individual histological components of the brain, one could then reassemble a picture of the biochemical matrix which is responsible for the functioning of the whole. By altering and exploiting the general procedure of Linderstrom Lang and his collaborators, it is in fact practical to obtain samples as small as 0.2 y wet weight from any desired region of the brain (1). In brief, frozen sections are dehydrated at -3O”, and the desired regions are cut from the dry section under a dissecting microscope. The isolated fragments are ready for direct analysis for any constituent stable to freezing and drying at -30”.