In the Amino Cupric Silver–stained section, the disintegrating cell bodies are clearly visible, and the degenerating synaptic terminals, dendritic debris and axons are also conspicuous. In the H&E-stained section, the damage is far less obvious and the characteristic eosinophilia of the cytoplasm and pyknotic nuclei of affected cells requires higher magnification to be distinct, as shown on the right. While it is possible to witness cell death with either category of stain, the degeneration stains provide a higher contrast signal leading to cost and time efficiencies during analysis.

Features visible in the Amino CuAg Disintegrative Degeneration–stained sections

Beta-Amyloid Precursor Protein (ß-APP) has become a useful marker for axonal injury and commonly termed: ‘diffuse axon injury’.  ß-APP is carried out by fast anterograde transport vesicles to distal sites in the axon. Upon axonal injury, ß-APP pools in areas of impaired transport.

Alternative means of detecting axon damage use the disintegrative degeneration stains (most notably, the amino cupric silver (ACS) method of deOlmos). Adjacent sections stained with the ACS stain and for ß-APP reveal quite different degrees of staining: much more axonal injury/damage is shown by the ACS suggesting that the ß-APP staining is revealing a totally different form of damage or a subset of what is diplayed in the ACS stain.