Combining microwave stabilization and microwave-stimulated fixation of brain tissue with microwave-stimulated...

Microwave stabilization of rat brain tissue using saline was compared with microwave-stimulated fixation using either formaldehyde or Kryofix. Sections were stained according to the microwave-adapted Nissl, Klüver-Barrera, and Bodian methods. Depending on the preparative choice the microwave staining method had to be adjusted. Optimal combinations of preparative techniques and staining methods are feasible. In most cases the microwave saline-stabilized and microwave Kryofix-treated sections were better suited for application in neurohistology than the microwave formaldehyde-treated sections for light microscopy.