Since the focus of the laboratory is electron microscopy, most techniques used in the lab, or developed here are designed specifically for the electron microscope. For example, the Golgi-electron microscope technique ¹, allows stained neurons to be first studied by light microscopy, and then their axons and dendrites examined by electron microscopy to ascertain their synaptic relationships.

We also developed a Myelin staining technique ² , useful both in the light microscopic analysis and electron microscopic analysis of myelin sheaths in cortex. As antibodies became available they have allowed us to study specific types of local circuit neurons in cortex. Immunocytochemical staining has been useful to ascertain how the pyramidal cells are organized into modules at both the light and electron microscopic levels. However, employing fluorescent markers allows us to further investigate the relationship between pyramidal cells and interneurons using the Confocal microscope.

1. Fairín, A., A. Peters and J. Saldanha 1977 A new procedure for examining Golgi impregnated neurons by light and electron microscopy. J. Neurocytol. 6: 311-337.
2. McNally, K.J. and Peters, A. 1998 A new method for intense staining of myelin. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 46 : 541 - 545.