Method of quantitative assessment of the cerebral vascular bed in experimental morphologic studies

Cleared brain sections 20 mkm thick with injected vessels are photographed and then projected on the screen. Vascular contours are sketched on the paper, cut out and weighed. Vessel-capillary network/the whole section field ratio in percents is then calculated. Having separated the area of the vessels, the area occupied by the capillaries is divided into the mean capillary diameter, thus it is possible to estimate the capillary length per area unit and the volume of the brain substance.