Anat Biol Anthropol.  2023 Dec;36(4):155-161. 10.11637/aba.2023.36.4.155.

Staining of the Brainstem by Using Copper Phthalocyanine Dye in the Course of Neuroanatomy

• Park Y
• Hur MS
• Oh CS

• KMID: 2551287
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.11637/aba.2023.36.4.155

Abstract

Brainstem seems to be one of the structures difficult for studying and dissecting in the course of neuroanatomy. It is because the diverse nuclei including cranial nerve nuclei and many bundles of fibers are packed in the limited space of the structure, and the cranial nerves from III to XII emerge from its surface. A method using plastic cup models has been already introduced for overcoming the difficulties of students’ studying the brainstem, which was useful for expressing the components of cranial nerves, but had limitations for expressing the structures inside the brainstem. The empty space of plastic cups made it difficult for the internal structures to be fixed at their proper positions. Hence, the copper phthalocyanine dye was applied to stain the gray matter of brainstem, which showed effective educational results.

Keyword

Brainstem; Cranial nerve nuclei; Neuroanatomy; Copper phthalocyanine dye