Stereology, a complement to experimental neuropathology. I. Introduction into stereology. II. Ultrastructural-morphometric investigations (baseline data, axotomy) on the superior cervical ganglion of the rat.

This paper first gives a short introduction into the principles of stereology. It shows then its actual application to the assessment of ultrastructural-morphometric data of the normal superior cervical ganglion of the rat (base-line data) and after axotomy. In the early phase after axon transsection the volumetric composition of the superior cervical ganglionic neuron remains constant. Only the volume density of the lysosomal forms is significantly increased from 0.9--3.2%. Ultrastructural morphometric analysis of the rough endoplasmic reticulum does not provide any information on quantitative changes underlying the phenomenon of central chromatolysis.