Seminal Work
The Neuron Doctrine
Italian scientist Camillo Golgi and the Spaniard Santiago Ramon y Cajal, considered the forefathers of modern neuroscience, conveyed the mysterious microcosm of nervous tissues to the scrutiny of the human eye. Golgi's silver salt staining, originally called the black reaction, traces a neuron's morphology with impressive fidelity; complex dendritic branches appear as molecular etchings, fractal patterns burnt into a sea of amber. Interestingly, the nature and underlying mechanism of this process is still not well understood. 1
Brownish-red silver chromate molecules form inside of cells within preserved tissues after exposure to potassium nitrate and silver dichromate. Unlike other staining techniques, this reaction does not require a cell-specific antibody; Golgi stains are not cell specific, yet result in a sparse (~1% of neurons) reaction. As neurons are densely packed, the Golgi stain becomes advantageous for studying various cell morphologies.
Ramon y Cajal was able to use Golgi's technique to provide evidence of what has become known as The Neuron Doctrine wherein neurons are understood as discrete cells, and the nervous system as made up from the interconnection of these cells. The movement of information in nervous tissue is done between neurons. The action potential describes the movement of electrical potential through a neuron that results in the release of neurotransmitters at the synapse.