Apoptosis plays a crucial role in tissue sculpturing during development and in the maintenance of a steady state in continuously renewing tissues. It is now becoming increasingly clear that apoptosis also contributes to cell death in many different pathological situations, including neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (Su et al., 1994; Lassmann et al., 1995; LaFerla et al., 1995c) and infectious disorders like the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (Meyaard et al., 1992; Gougeon and Montagnier, 1993). In this review, we will focus on the technical considerations that are critical for detecting apoptotic cells. Particular attention will be devoted to recently developed molecular techniques that offer enhanced detection of dying cells in tissue sections or in cell culture, especially as related to their utility in the brain.