Immunohistochemistry of nervous system antigens: diagnostic applications in surgical neuropathology

Immunohistochemical localization of nervous system antigens is becoming an increasingly useful tool in the diagnosis of neuropathologic lesions. Use of antigen markers specific for certain cell types, when properly employed, can confirm suspected diagnoses or solve difficult differential diagnoses. Presently the most useful markers are the glial antigens, glial fibrillary acid protein and S-100 protein, but a number of other markers, such as neurofilament proteins and neuron-specific enolase, have shown some diagnostic utility.