Detection of apoptotic cells in the nervous system

Over the course of an organism's life, cells divide, grow, differentiate, and die. For many years cell death has been recognized as significant in normal neuronal development. More recently, interest has grown in the mechanisms that regulate both cell death and cell survival in neurons during homeostasis and aging. Understanding these mechanisms depends largely on the ability to identify dead or dying cells. Several markers have been identified and developed for the detection of cell death in various tissues. In this chapter, we will present an overview of different approaches used to identify cell death in the nervous system while focusing on a few specific protocols.