Atlas of the Rat Spinal Cord

This chapter provides the fundamental structural map of the spinal cord of the principal laboratory research animal, the rat. The rat spinal cord atlas is based on a set of Nissl stained transverse sections from a single spinal cord (the master set), supplemented by additional sections at each level stained with a range of chemical marker stains. The atlas includes features such as photographs of Nissl stained transverse sections from each of the spinal cord segments (obtained from a single unfixed spinal cord); detailed diagrams of each of the spinal cord segments delineating the laminae of Rexed and all other significant neuronal groupings at each level; photographs of additional sections displaying markers such as acetylcholinesterase (AChE), calbindin, calretinin, choline acetlytransferase, neurofilament protein (SMI 32), enkephalin, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), and neuronal nuclear protein (NeuN); and all the major motoneuron clusters identified in relation to the individual muscles or muscle groups they supply.