Golgi-Cox Staining of Neuronal Dendrites and Dendritic Spines With FD Rapid GolgiStain™ Kit

Abstract

The Golgi-Cox method has been one of the most effective techniques for studying the morphology of neuronal dendrites and dendritic spines. However, the reliability and time-consuming process of Golgi-Cox staining have been major obstacles to the widespread application of this technique. To overcome these shortcomings and to promote this invaluable technique, we developed the FD Rapid GolgiStain™ Kit based on the principle of the methods described by Ramón-Moliner in 1970 and Glaser and Van der Loos in 1981. The kit significantly improves and simplifies the Golgi-Cox technique. This kit is reliable for visualizing morphological details of neurons, allowing for analysis of various parameters of dendritic morphology—such as dendritic length and branching pattern and dendritic spine number, shape, and size—in both animal and postmortem human brains. A 40-min instructional video for tissue freezing, cryosectioning, and staining is provided. © 2019 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.