Electron microscopic cytochemical and morphometric study of the cerebral cortex synapses in postmortem autolysis

Brain tissue staining with phosphotungstic acid was performed to assay neurofilament accumulations in synapses in the molecular layer of the rat cerebral cortex at different intervals after the animals' death. It was found that autolysis began in the dense projections of presynaptic grid. Within 30 min autolysis developed in mature and very young (immature) synapses. By the 90th min autolysis in asymmetric synapses was considerably enhanced. 6 hours later autolysis involved mature and indefinite synapses.