FIXATION OF CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM BY PERFUSION OF CEREBRAL VENTRICLES WITH A THREEFOLD ALDEHYDE MIXTURE

This paper describes a method of perfusion of the cerebral ventricles. The perfusion apparatus described makes it possible to control the pressure of the perfusate inside the ventricles and to keep the flow of the perfusate constant for at least 30 min. A threefold mixture of formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde and acrolein was used as perfusate, and was shown to have a good penetrating power. The method was primarily designed to fix the choroid plexuses and the periventricular structures of the toad, but the results have shown that all the areas studied in the CNS to date, including those located far from the cavities, were well preserved. The probable mechanism of the action of acrolein in this fixative mixture is discussed. © 1969.