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Comparative histological methods for counting optic nerve fibers of the great horned owl, Bubo virginianus
Author(s) -
Perkins Ashley Renee,
Grady Shauna M,
Walters Linda M,
Suchocki Lawerence,
Hall Margaret I
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.23.1_supplement.825.10
Subject(s) - optic nerve , nerve fiber , luxol fast blue stain , anatomy , stain , nerve fiber layer , ophthalmology , biology , medicine , staining , pathology , neuroscience , central nervous system , myelin
Optic nerve fibers are the axons of retinal ganglion cells, and as such they can provide information about the visual acuity and sensitivity capabilities of an animal. Currently, consistent optic nerve fiber counts are not available for most avians. Those that are available are dependent on method, with different methods yielding different counts. Here, optic nerve fibers are counted at light level for the Great Horned Owl. Juxtaposed sections of a single optic nerve are stained using three different techniques: Bielschowsky's silver impregnation, Bodian's protargol, and Luxol Fast Blue stain. The optic nerve is also observed using H&E to demonstrate details of microanatomy. We test two hypotheses: 1) different staining methods yield different myelinated optic nerve fiber counts due to variations in nerve fiber staining; and 2) hand counts and computer‐generated counts will vary depending on the stain. Counts are estimated for the nerve from 25 digital pictures taken at 1000X at regular intervals. Hand counts are performed multiple times by different observers and compared. Computer‐generated counts are performed in Image J. Research support comes from Midwestern University. Grant Funding Source AAA Annual Meeting Student/Postdoctoral & Young Faculty Travel Award Student Award