Franz Nissl (September 9, 1860 – August 11, 1919) was a German neuropathologist. Born in Bavaria, he did his medical studies in Munich where he became interested in the pathology of cortical neurons. He is best known for developing a histological stain which used basic aniline stains to label extranuclear RNA granules(named Nissl granules) in neurons. This allowed for selective visualization of neuronal cell bodies throughout the brain, ushering a new era in neurocytology and neuropathology. He also did important work in psychiatry correlating changes in glial cells, blood vessels, and brain tissue in general with mental illness. He also worked with and was friends with Alois Alzheimer. Toward the end of his life he studied the nature of the connections between the cerebral cortex and the thalamus.

External links

• Biography of Franz Nissl
• More information from the University of Chicago

German neuroscientists | 1860 births | 1919 deaths | History of neuroscience

Franz Nissl | Franz Nissl | Franz Nissl | Franz Nissl