Stereo Investigator®

The optical fractionator probe was used to quantify the number of neurons and glia in the dentate gyrus   Doctors have used lithium to treat patients with bipolar disorder since the 1970s. Known for its efficacy in stabilizing patients' moods by regulating manic episodes, lithium is also associated with a decreased risk of suicide. But while this naturally occurring element is the most widely prescribed medication for...

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[caption id="attachment_6326" align="aligncenter" width="600"] An immunostained image of myelin basic protein in the cerebella of a mouse brain with an iron-sufficient diet compared with the brain of a mouse exposed to alcohol and fed an iron-insufficient diet. It shows the reduced cerebellar size due to the ID-alcohol combination. Green is MBP immunostain, blue is DAPI for nuclei. Image courtesy of Susan Smith, PhD.[/caption]   If a pregnant...

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[caption id="attachment_6175" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Phosphorylated tau pS422 immunoreactive profiles (dark brown) in the cortex of P301S mice after repetitive mild TBI. Image courtesy of Dr. Leyan Xu, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University.[/caption]   Over the course of a football game or a boxing match, athletes may experience a series of mild concussions. Some of these athletes develop a condition known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a...

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[caption id="attachment_6094" align="alignright" width="231"] Micrograph of cholinergic neurons in the nucleus basalis of Meynert. Image from Wikipedia.[/caption]   Cholinergic neurons degenerate at devastating rates in Alzheimer's disease, but Dr. Mark Tuszynski and his team at the University of California, San Diego may have found a way to slow the decline.   Their study, published in JAMA Neurology, reports that nerve growth factor gene therapy increased the size, axonal sprouting, and signaling of cholinergic neurons...

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In 2014 researchers used Stereo Investigator in 698 peer-reviewed papers - citing it almost three times more than all other stereology systems combined. Researchers tell us they use Stereo Investigator because: it works with many different microscopes and imaging technologies it provides unbiased data about neuron populations and regions of interest it comes with strong technical and research support provided by MBF Bioscience [caption id="attachment_5790" align="alignnone" width="1394"] source: google scholar[/caption] Dr. Mark West, co-developer of...

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[caption id="attachment_5546" align="aligncenter" width="401"] A representative confocal image of spinal cord tissue fluorescently immunolabeled for SC121 (red) in conjunction with GFAP (green) – markers that allowed researchers to quantify stem cell differentiation and migration. (Image provided by study author Dr. Aileen J. Anderson)[/caption]   Research has shown that transplanting human neural stem cells into damaged spinal cords restores locomotor function in a mouse model of spinal cord injury1. Researchers...

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[caption id="attachment_5560" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Almeida-Suhett et al saw delayed loss of GABAergic interneurons in the BLA within the first week after mild CCI. (Representative photomicrographs of GAD-67 immunohistochemically stained GABAergic interneurons in the BLA of sham (left), 1-day CCI (middle), and 7-day CCI (right) animals. Total magnification is 630x; scale bar, 50 µm.)[/caption]   Soldiers, athletes, and other individuals who suffer a traumatic brain injury often develop...

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People with Alzheimer's disease suffer from severe memory loss and often have problems focusing, reasoning, and communicating. About half of all Alzheimer's patients also experience delusions and hallucinations, this is called Alzheimer's disease with psychosis, and scientists at the University of Pittsburgh are learning more about this severe version of the disease.   In a recent study, researchers at Dr. Robert Sweet's lab zeroed in on a...

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After an initial spinal cord injury, a cascading series of secondary events continues to do damage to the nervous system. One particularly damaging event is the death of oligodendrocytes—neuroglial cells that help protect and support the central nervous system. Scientists are learning more about the mechanisms involved in this process in the hope that their research may lead to the development of new therapeutic treatments...

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The deepest parts of the ocean are dark. For marine animals living one thousand feet below sea level and lower, the absence of light makes it challenging to find food, attract a mate, and identify predators.   Some animals make their own light through a process called bioluminescence. Others have adapted in ways that help them detect light in an environment beyond the reach of the sun's...

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