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1: Stains used in the mammillary body section of brains in which Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (WKS) was suspected

             Reticulin stain highlights the vascular pattern in the mammillary bodies, which is usually increased in WKS.

Weil myelin stain may show loss of myelinated fibres in the mammillary bodies in WKS.

Glial fibrillary stain (immunoperoxide technique) shows gliosis.

Perl's stain for iron highlights previous episodes of acute WKS with haemorrhage.

Bodian silver impregnation shows senile (neuritic) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in cases of Alzheimer's disease, which can cause shrunken mammillary bodies.5

Nissl stain shows the relative preservation of neurones seen in cases of acute WKS. This is an important histological feature which distinguishes WKS from infarction or hypoxic brain damage.

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