BIOL 01113 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Franz Nissl, Golgi'S Method, Nissl Body
13 Dec 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
The brain is an organ to be sure, the most sophisticated and complex organ that nature has devised. There is an equal amount of glia and neurons in the body, however, neurons are responsible for most the unique functions of the brain. It is the neurons that sense changes in the environment, communicate these changes to other neurons, and command the body"s responses to these sensations. Glia, or glial cells, contribute to brain function mainly by insulating, supporting, and nourishing neighboring neurons. (derived from the greek for glue) Because neurons cannot be seen by the naked eye, cellular neuroscience could not progress before the development of the compound microscope in the late seventeenth century. The brain needed to be firmed up with the invention of formaldehyde to fix the tissue and thinly slice the brain using the microtome. Histology- the microscopic study of the structure of tissues.
