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Updated: May 10, 2026
10:56
An Unbiased Approach of Sampling TEM Sections in Neuroscience
Published on: April 13, 2019
Counting and measuring ultrastructural features of biological samples
Cold Spring Harbor Protocols
|July 3, 2013
Summary
Stereological techniques using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) require physical sections for quantifying ultrastructural features like neuronal synapses. This method enables accurate estimation of synapse number and size in brain regions.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Neuroscience
- Microscopy
Background:
- Ultrastructural cellular features require high-resolution imaging.
- Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) offers necessary resolution but has limitations with section depth.
- Virtual sectioning is not feasible with TEM due to section thickness versus focal depth.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a stereological method for quantifying ultrastructural features using TEM.
- To address the challenges of virtual sectioning in TEM for stereology.
- To provide a framework for estimating synapse number and size in brain regions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized physically separated ultrathin sections for conventional TEM viewing.
- Employed physical disectors to overcome limitations of virtual sectioning.
- Applied stereological principles to quantify ultrastructural features.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated the feasibility of quantifying neuronal synapses using physical sections and TEM.
- Established a stereological design applicable to various ultrastructural quantification studies.
- Provided a method for estimating synapse number and size in specific brain regions.
Conclusions:
- Physical sectioning and disectors are essential for TEM-based stereology of ultrastructural features.
- The described stereological approach is adaptable for quantifying cellular structures.
- This method enables accurate estimation of neuronal synapse parameters.
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