Detection of Apoptotic or Necrotic Death in Neuronal Cells by Morphological, Biochemical, and Molecular Analysis

During embryogenesis of vertebrates, programmed cell death (or apoptosis) is an important event involved in tissue formation and organogenesis (Ernst, 1926; Gl�cksmann, 1951; Kerr et al., 1972). In the nervous system, programmed cell death of sensory and motor neurons occurs in embryonic stages, but also maturation of central and peripheral nervous system is accompanied by extensive deletion of supernumerary neurons. Furthermore, neuronal cell death is not only part of normal brain development, it also occurs in neurodegenerative disorders.