Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A quantitative and ultrastructural study of substantia nigra and nucleus centralis superior in Alzheimer's disease

  • Original Works
  • Published:
Acta Neuropathologica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

In four patients with presenile Alzheimer's disease (AD) and three age-matched controls a quantitative study of neurons and neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) in the substantia nigra (SN) and nucleus centralis superior (NCS) was performed. A significant neuronal loss, similar in both nuclei, was found in AD cases, while the incidence of NFT was remarkably higher in NCS. Moreover, no significant correlation between neuronal loss and number of NFT was detected. An electron-microscopic study revealed that the subcortical NFT in NCS are made up of paired helical filaments in spite of their globose round shape.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Adolfsson R, Gottfries CG, Roos BE, Winblad B (1979) Changes in brain catecholamines in patients with dementia of Alzheimer type. Br J Psychiatry 135:216–223

    Google Scholar 

  2. Benton JS, Bowen DM, Allen SJ, Haan EA, Davison AN, Neary D, Murphy RP, Snowden JS (1982) Alzheimer's disease as a disorder of the isodendritic core. Lancet I:456

    Google Scholar 

  3. Bondareff W, Mountjoy CQ, Roth M (1982) Loss of neurons of origin of the adrenergic projection to cerebral cortex (nucleus locus coeruleus) in senile dementia. Neurology (NY) 32:164–168

    Google Scholar 

  4. Bugiani O, Mancardi GL, Brusa A, Ederli E (1979) The fine structure of subcortical neurofibrillary tangles in progressive supranuclear palsy. Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 45:147–152

    Google Scholar 

  5. Curcio CA, Kemper T (1984) Nucleus raphe dorsalis in dementia of the Alzheimer type: neurofibrillary changes and neuronal packing density. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 43:359–368

    Google Scholar 

  6. Davies P, Maloney AJF (1976) Selective loss of central cholinergic neurons in Alzheimer's disease. Lancet II:1403

    Google Scholar 

  7. Esiri MM, Wilcock CK (1984) The olfactory bulbs in Alzheimer's disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 47: 56–60

    Google Scholar 

  8. Forno LS (1983) Reaction of the substantia nigra to massive basal ganglia infarction. Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 62:96–102

    Google Scholar 

  9. Forno LS, Alvord EC (1971) The pathology of parkinsonism. In: McDowell FH, Markham CH (eds) Recent advances in Parkinson's disease. Blackwell, Oxford, pp 119–130

    Google Scholar 

  10. Gottfries CG, Gottfries I, Roos BE (1969) The investigation of homovanillic acid in human brain and its correlation to senile dementia. Br J Psychiatry 115:563–574

    Google Scholar 

  11. Hassler R (1938) Zur Pathologie der Paralysis agitans und des postenzephalitischen Parkinsonismus. Dtsch Z Nervenheilk 136:68–77

    Google Scholar 

  12. Jouvet M (1969) Recherches sur les structures nerveuses et les mechanismes responsibles des differentes phases du sommeil physiologique. Arch Ital Biol 100:125–206

    Google Scholar 

  13. Mancardi GL, Liwnicz BH, Mandybur TI (1983) Fibrous astrocytes in Alzheimer's disease and senile dementia of Alzheimer's type. An immunohistochemical and ultrastructural study. Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 61:76–80

    Google Scholar 

  14. Mann DMA, Yates PO (1982) Is the loss of cerebral CAT activity in Alzheimer's disease due to degeneration of ascending cholinergic cells. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 45:936

    Google Scholar 

  15. Mann DMA, Yates PO (1983) Serotonin nerve cells in Alzheimer's disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 46:96

    Google Scholar 

  16. Mann DMA, Yates PO, Marcyniuk B (1984) Age and Alzheimer's disease. Lancet I:281–282

    Google Scholar 

  17. Mann DMA, Yates PO, Marcyniuk B (1984) Monoaminergic neurotransmitters system in presenile Alzheimer's disease and in senile dementia of Alzheimer type. Clin Neuropathol 3:199–205

    Google Scholar 

  18. Molska PK, Marttila RJ, Rinne UK (1984) Extrapyramidal signs in Alzheimer's disease. Neurology (Cleveland) 34:114–116

    Google Scholar 

  19. Moore RY, Halaris AE, Jones BE (1978) Serotonin neurons of the midbrain raphe: ascending projection. J Comp Neurol 180:417–438

    Google Scholar 

  20. Okamoto K, Hirano A, Yamaguchi H, Hirai S (1982) The fine structure of eosinophilic stages of Alzheimer's neurofibrillary tangles. Clin Neurol 22:840–846

    Google Scholar 

  21. Olszewski J, Baxter O (1954) Cytoachitecture of the human brain stem. Karger, Basel

    Google Scholar 

  22. Palmer AM, Sims NR, Bowen DM, Neary D, Palo J, Wikstrom J, Davison AN (1984) Monoamine metabolite concentrations in lumbar cerebrospinal fluid of patients with histologically verified Alzheimer's dementia. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 47:481–484

    Google Scholar 

  23. Pearce J (1970) The extrapyramidal disorders of Alzheimer's disease. Eur Neurol 12:94–103

    Google Scholar 

  24. Rothschild D, Kasanin J (1936) Clinicopathologic study of Alzheimer's disease. Arch Neurol Psychiatry 36:293–321

    Google Scholar 

  25. Rudelli RD, Ambler MW, Wisniewski HM (1984) Morphology and distribution of Alzheimer neuritic (senile) and amyloid plaques in striatum and diencephalon. Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 64:273–281

    Google Scholar 

  26. Schechter R, Yen SHC, Terry RD (1981) Fibrous astrocytes in senile dementia of the Alzheimer type. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 40:95–101

    Google Scholar 

  27. Sourander P, Sjogren H (1970) The concept of Alzheimer's disease and its clinical implications. In: Wolstenholme GEW, O'Connor M (eds) Alzheimer's disease and related conditions. Churchill, London, pp 11–36

    Google Scholar 

  28. Steel JC, Richardson JC, Olszewski J (1964) Progressive supranuclear palsy. A heterogeneous degeneration involving the brain stem, basal ganglia and cerebellum with vertical gaze and pseudobulbar palsy, nuchal distonia, and dementia. Arch Neurol 10:333–359

    Google Scholar 

  29. Suzuki Y, Hirota I (1965) EEG study on senile dementia. 62th Jpn Neuropsychiatr Meet

  30. Tagliavini F, Pilleri G (1983) Neuronal counts in basal nucleus of Meynert in Alzheimer's disease and in simple senile dementia. Lancet I:469–470

    Google Scholar 

  31. Tellez-Nagel I, Wisniewski HM (1973) Ultrastructure of neurofibrillary tangles in Steel-Richardson-Olszewski syndrome. Arch Neurol 29:324–327

    Google Scholar 

  32. Whitehouse PJ, Price DL, Clark AW, Coyle JT, De Lond MR (1981) Alzheimer's disease: evidence for selective loss of cholinergic neurons in the nucleus basalis. Ann Neurol 10:122–126

    Google Scholar 

  33. Wisniewski K, Jervis GH, Moretz RC, Wisniewski HM (1979) Alzheimer neurofibrillary tangles in diseases other than senile and presenile dementia. Ann Neurol 5:288–294

    Google Scholar 

  34. Yagishita S, Itoh Y, Amano N, Nakano T, Saitoh A (1979) Ultrastructure of neurofibrillary tangles in progressive supranuclear palsy. Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 48:27–30

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinica Neurologica, Università di Genova, via De Toni 5, I-16132, Genova, Italy

    M. Tabaton, A. Schenone, P. Romagnoli & G. L. Mancardi

Authors
  1. M. Tabaton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A. Schenone
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. P. Romagnoli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. G. L. Mancardi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Supported by CNR contract no. 83.02062.04

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Tabaton, M., Schenone, A., Romagnoli, P. et al. A quantitative and ultrastructural study of substantia nigra and nucleus centralis superior in Alzheimer's disease. Acta Neuropathol 68, 218–223 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00690198

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00690198

Key words

Search

Navigation