The neuropathological description of cell loss, atrophy, gliosis, etc., is usually based on the subjective impression of changes of cell density one gets from a microscopic study. This impression can be quite misleading, as has been shown for the so-called gliosis in atrophic fiber tracts, which, in fact, results from tissue shrinkage.15 Collection of quantitative data on tissue volume, regional density of cells, and the regional composition of the cell population furthers the approach toward quantitative, objective neuropathology. Methods are easily found and adjusted to the problem in question, once the need for quantitation is recognized.7
This work represents an effort to utilize quantitative methods and histochemical data for the analysis of cerebellar edema. The clear-cut arrangement of its cellular elements renders the cerebellar cortex an ideal region for quantitative studies.
Material and Methods
Since a variety of studies was reported, certain methodological details have been included in