Complex brain circuits studied via simultaneous and permanent detection of three transported neuroanatomical tracers in the same histological section

J Neurosci Methods. 2000 Nov 15;103(1):127-35. doi: 10.1016/s0165-0270(00)00302-2.

Abstract

Experimental neuroanatomical tracing methods lie at the basis of the study of the nervous system. When the scientific question is relatively straightforward, it may be sufficient to derive satisfactory answers from experiments in which a single neuroanatomical tracing method is applied. In various scientific paradigms however, for instance when the degree of convergence of two different projections on a particular cortical area or subcortical nucleus is the subject of study, the application of single tracing methods can be either insufficient or uneconomical to solve the questions asked. In cases where chains of projections are the subjects of study, the simultaneous application of two tracing methods or even more may be compulsory. The present contribution focuses on combinations of several neuroanatomical tract-tracing strategies, enabling in the end the simultaneous, unambiguous and permanent detection of three transported markers according to a three-color paradigm. A number of combinations of three tracers or of two tracers plus the immunocytochemical detection of a neuroactive substance can be conceived; we describe several of these combinations implemented by us using the present multitracer protocol.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Axonal Transport / drug effects
  • Axonal Transport / physiology
  • Biotin / analogs & derivatives*
  • Brain / cytology*
  • Brain / physiology
  • Cholera Toxin / pharmacology*
  • Corpus Striatum / cytology
  • Corpus Striatum / physiology
  • Dextrans*
  • Fluorescent Dyes*
  • Macaca fascicularis
  • Nerve Net / cytology*
  • Nerve Net / physiology
  • Neural Pathways / cytology*
  • Neural Pathways / physiology
  • Neurons / cytology
  • Neurons / physiology
  • Rats
  • Stilbamidines*
  • Substantia Nigra / cytology
  • Substantia Nigra / physiology

Substances

  • 2-hydroxy-4,4'-diamidinostilbene, methanesulfonate salt
  • Dextrans
  • Fluorescent Dyes
  • Stilbamidines
  • biotinylated dextran amine
  • Biotin
  • Cholera Toxin