To understand neuron function, it is important to be familiar with the anatomy involved. Cajal and Golgi shared the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1906 for their combined contribution to the advancement of science and our understanding of the structure of the nervous system. Based on his observation of Golgi-stained tissue, Cajal suggested neurons were distinguishable processing units rather than part of a continuous network of nerves, as had been previously believed. This significantly enhanced our appreciation of the intricate networks their processes form. These qualities of the Golgi stain allowed the pioneering neuroanatomist Santiago Ramon y Cajal to examine the full anatomical structure of individual neurons for the first time. A more notable characteristic of a Golgi stain is that it only stains approximately 1–2% of neurons ( Pasternak & Woolsey, 1975 Smit & Colon, 1969), permitting the observer to distinguish one cell from another. However, by contrast, a Golgi stain fills the cell body and all the processes that extend outward from the cell body (see right panel of Figure 5.1.2). Nissl stain labels only the main part of the cell (i.e., the cell body see left and middle panels of Figure 5.1.2). Note that different chemicals were used to stain the neurons in the figure above so that they could be seen under the microscope. Right: Golgi-stained cortex of a 1 1/2 month old infant. Middle: Nissl-stained motor cortex of a human adult. Left: Nissl-stained visual cortex of a human adult. The image at the far right using Golgi stain highlights cell bodies and extensive branching of dendrites. \): Small sections of tissue from the brain of a human infant and a human adult.
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