ISSN:
1432-0533
Keywords:
Raphe
;
Immunohistochemistry
;
Neuritic plaques
;
Neurofibrillary tangles
;
Alzheimer's disease
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Summary The location and number of brain stem serotonin-synthesizing neurons were analyzed in 11 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 5 agematched controls using immunohistochemical techniques. In addition, the number of neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the cortex and brain stem raphe was evaluated, as was the number of Nissl-stained raphe neurons. AD patients could be classified into two groups based on their raphe pathology; patients with such pathology (AD+) and those without (AD−). The number of large raphe neurons correlated significantly with the number of serotonin-synthesizing neurons in control material, indicating that all large neurons were serotonergic. This relationship was not apparent in AD+ patients, in whom the number of serotonin-synthesizing neurons correlated with the number of neurofibrillary tangles in the raphe of these patients. This indicates that in AD+ patients the serotonin-synthesizing neurons were selectively affected. There was no correlation between raphe and cortical pathology or raphe pathology and patient sex, age, mini-mental score or depression score, even when such scores were weighted for the interval between testing and death. There was a trend for the raphe pathology to correlate with the age of onset and duration of dementia and the Blessed dementia score in AD+ patients. Most AD+ patients with severe raphe lesions had clinical dementia only, while AD− patients had additional clinical features. The raphe lesions were more dramatic in AD+ patients with a rapid progression of symptoms.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00227741
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