Basic Stereology for Biologists and Neuroscientists

by Mark J. West

Overview

Stereological techniques allow biologists to create quantitative, three-dimensional descriptions of biological structures from two-dimensional images of tissue viewed under the microscope. For example, they can accurately estimate the size of a particular organelle, the total length of a mass of capillaries, or the number of neurons or synapses in a particular region of the brain.

This book provides a practical guide to designing and critically evaluating stereological studies of the nervous system and other tissues. It explains the basic concepts behind design-based stereology and how to get started. Also included are detailed descriptions of how to prepare tissue appropriately, perform pilot studies and decide on the appropriate sampling strategy, and account for phenomena such as tissue shrinkage. Numerous examples of applications of stereological methods that are applicable to studies of the central system and a wide variety of other tissues are explained. The book is therefore essential reading for neurobiologists and cell biologists interested in generating accurate representations of cell and tissue architecture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781936113606
Publisher:	Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
Publication date:	08/31/2012
Pages:	206
Product dimensions:	6.70(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.60(d)

Table of Contents

Preface ix

1 Introduction to Stereology 1

2 Estimating Volume 15

3 Estimating Object Number 31

4 Isotropy, iSectors, and Vertical Sections 59

5 Estimating Length 71

6 Estimating Surface Area 83

7 The Precision of an Estimate 91

8 Systematic versus Random Sampling 109

9 Getting Started 115

10 Optimizing the Sampling Scheme: Amount of Individuals, Sections, and Probes 131

11 Shrinkage 147

12 Local Estimators of Size 157

13 Counting and Measuring Ultrastructural Features 169

14 What to Report: Information to Be Included in Publication 189

Index 197