One of the scientific approaches has been to study nerve fibers with various stains under the microscope. This drawing was made of these fibers using a silver nitrate stain. The stain reacts with various parts of the cells so that the scientist can view various aspects of the cells.
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This drawing show mostly gray nerve fibers (with no myelin sheath) with two medullated fibers.
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This drawing shows a transverse section of a nerve. The prefix "peri" means "near".
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This drawing shows muscle fibers with nerve endings. Therehas been controversy as to whether psychiatric diseases are in the brain or the peripheral nervous system or both. This author (Olson) feels that the evidence is overwhelming that they are in the brain. This has been demonstrated by Alzheimer, Nissl, Gurd, Freeman, Vogt & Vogt, Papez, and many others.
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This drawing shows a transvers section of spinal ganglion. There is an overlap between psychiatry and neurology. Neurology studies matters such as spinal chord injury.
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This drawing shows a sympathetic ganglion and an individual nerve cell. A ganglion is a cluster of nerve cells.
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In the 19th century Korsakoff found pathology in the brains of alcoholics. Similar findings were reported by Wernicke of Germany. Unfortunately Wernicke died young due to an accident. Had he lived longer, he might have become one of the most famous scientists of all time.
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In 1921 V. M. Buscaino reported pathology in subcortical structures (the basal ganglia) in dementia praecox, which is now called "schizophrenia". Buscaino was a brilliant Italian scientist.
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This is alanine, a very simple amino acid. Alanine was implicated in schizophrenia by a Detroit group in the 1970's. It seems that alanine was converting to pyruvate and subsequently flooding the citric acid cycle.
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This is tryptophan, which has been implicated in both schizophrenia and depression. It seems that tryptophan floods the cells due to the action of an unknown toxic factor in the blood plasma.
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