Hi Doris,

From my own experience, though not ideal, it is possible to make out the cortical layers on the basis of their respective cellular components, density etc. However, you are correct that CFV (for Nissl substance) or NeuN (IHC) is far more appropriate for this purpose.

Hope this helps.

Ahmad

I recommand a Cresylviolet staining. This classical Nissl- stain shows you the architecture of the cortex pritty well. If you have nur Crysylviolet in your lab you can try to do only a Haematoxylin stain without Eosin counterstain.

You can fairly well distinguish the layers of the cerebral cortex on the basis of cellular density (molecular layer), size and number of pyramidal cells and other cellular criteria.

Best regards,

Daniela

If you can't stain with stains designated specifically for staining "brain sections" for morphological, stereological and statistical evaluation, you might adopt the experience and opinion of Ahmad and Daniela.

Otherwise - in addition to Cresyl violet (e. g. Cresyl violet- an Overview: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/cresyl-violet , special Handbooks of Histology and Staining Methods, Bancroft and Gamble, e. g. also: https://books.google.at/books?id=R92cBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA150&lpg=PA150&dq=visualization+Cerebral+cortex+layers+by+Cresyl+Violet+Stain&source=bl&ots=HLkTZnAfSJ&sig=ZyTmayvMdSHo7Qi7YEiPfTzkmaQ&hl=de&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj6vLKQ9efZAhWoFJoKHc-NAMU4ChDoAQgsMAE#v=onepage&q=visualization%20Cerebral%20cortex%20layers%20by%20Cresyl%20Violet%20Stain&f=false ) = Guide to Research Techniques in Neuroscience, by Matt Carter, ‎Jennifer C. Shieh - 2015, esp. pp. 150, 151 with Table 6.2.: Histochemical stains for studying Neuroanatomy [cf: https://books.google.at/books?isbn=0128005971 ]

Further, to see and compare staining outcomes (only exemplarily!): cf:

https://de.slideshare.net/anny555333/histology-of-cerebral-cortex , cf. esp. Foil #44 ff; (admitting that images may not the best one the author had at hand...) ;

https://sisu.ut.ee/histology/cerebral-cortex ;

http://www.lab.anhb.uwa.edu.au/mb140/corepages/nervous/nervous.htm (e.g. for Giemsa stain image of forebrain cortex) ;

http://histology.medicine.umich.edu/resources/central-nervous-system#iv-cerebrum (for luxol blue/cresyl violet and Toluidine Blue-Eosin 'orientation' stain);

Histology of the Central Nervous System - Robert H. Garman, 2011, (free access, images(some also representing H&E stained parts of cerebral cortex) cf: journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0192623310389621 ;

Article A Rapid Method Combining Golgi and Nissl Staining to Study N...

http_s://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2386766/ (NB: eliminate prior to pasting into your browser the _ in between http and s! otherwise you end up always in the RG-version)

Article A sterological study of the numbers of neurons and glia in t...

http_s://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4266819/

(NB: eliminate prior to pasting into your browser the _ in between http and s! )

with a hint to restricted use of Cresyl violet for stereological-statistical evaluations.

Finally: https://www.researchgate.net/post/Making_own_Cresyl_Violet_Nissl_or_similar_stain_in_the_lab

Perhaps more special literature to be consulted.

(Edited once for correction of initial errors in URL-display).

Cresylviolet staining is better than HE for brain tissue.

I agree with other contributors that Nissl staining or NeuN immunohistochemistry are the best options for delineating the cortical layers. However, where these techniques are not available haematoxylin and eosin may be used to study these layers. But you have to carefully study it to distinguish the layers