Detection of activated caspase-8 in injured spinal axons by using fluorochrome-labeled inhibitors of caspases (FLICA).

Here, we present a detailed protocol for the detection of activated caspase-8 in axotomized axons of the whole-mounted lamprey spinal cord. This method is based on the use of fluorochrome -labeled inhibitors of caspases (FLICA) in ex vivo tissue. We offer a very convenient vertebrate model to study the retrograde degeneration of descending pathways after spinal cord injury.