Plastination of Stained Sections of the Human Brain: Comparison between Different Staining Methods

Human brain slices, 4-6 mm thick, were stained and plastinated. Five methods of staining were compared: Mulligan's, Le Masurier's, Roberta's, Braak's and Alston's methods. The gray matter stained grayish black, brilliant blue, reddish brown, bluish green and brickred, respectively. Shrinkage after staining was 2% in Braak's method and less than 1 % in the other methods. After plastination, the shrinkage was approximately 10% in all methods. Judging from staining cost, time spent and contrast between the gray and white matter, Alston's method was the best among the five studied. All stained, plastinated brain slices displayed anatomical details suitable for neuroanatomy study.