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Riederer P, Nagatsu T, Youdim MBH, Wulf M, Dijkstra JM, Sian-Huelsmann J. Lewy bodies, iron, inflammation and neuromelanin: pathological aspects underlying Parkinson's disease. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2023; 130:627-646. [PMID: 37062012 PMCID: PMC10121516 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-023-02630-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/17/2023]
Abstract
Since the description of some peculiar symptoms by James Parkinson in 1817, attempts have been made to define its cause or at least to enlighten the pathology of "Parkinson's disease (PD)." The vast majority of PD subtypes and most cases of sporadic PD share Lewy bodies (LBs) as a characteristic pathological hallmark. However, the processes underlying LBs generation and its causal triggers are still unknown. ɑ-Synuclein (ɑ-syn, encoded by the SNCA gene) is a major component of LBs, and SNCA missense mutations or duplications/triplications are causal for rare hereditary forms of PD. Thus, it is imperative to study ɑ-syn protein and its pathology, including oligomerization, fibril formation, aggregation, and spreading mechanisms. Furthermore, there are synergistic effects in the underlying pathogenic mechanisms of PD, and multiple factors-contributing with different ratios-appear to be causal pathological triggers and progression factors. For example, oxidative stress, reduced antioxidative capacity, mitochondrial dysfunction, and proteasomal disturbances have each been suggested to be causal for ɑ-syn fibril formation and aggregation and to contribute to neuroinflammation and neural cell death. Aging is also a major risk factor for PD. Iron, as well as neuromelanin (NM), show age-dependent increases, and iron is significantly increased in the Parkinsonian substantia nigra (SN). Iron-induced pathological mechanisms include changes of the molecular structure of ɑ-syn. However, more recent PD research demonstrates that (i) LBs are detected not only in dopaminergic neurons and glia but in various neurotransmitter systems, (ii) sympathetic nerve fibres degenerate first, and (iii) at least in "brain-first" cases dopaminergic deficiency is evident before pathology induced by iron and NM. These recent findings support that the ɑ-syn/LBs pathology as well as iron- and NM-induced pathology in "brain-first" cases are important facts of PD pathology and via their interaction potentiate the disease process in the SN. As such, multifactorial toxic processes posted on a personal genetic risk are assumed to be causal for the neurodegenerative processes underlying PD. Differences in ratios of multiple factors and their spatiotemporal development, and the fact that common triggers of PD are hard to identify, imply the existence of several phenotypical subtypes, which is supported by arguments from both the "bottom-up/dual-hit" and "brain-first" models. Therapeutic strategies are necessary to avoid single initiation triggers leading to PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Riederer
- Clinic and Policlinic for Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Margarete-Höppel-Platz 1, 97080, Würzburg, Germany.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Southern Denmark Odense, J.B. Winslows Vey 18, 5000, Odense, Denmark.
| | - Toshiharu Nagatsu
- Center for Research Promotion and Support, School of Medicine, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, 470-1192, Japan
| | | | - Max Wulf
- Medizinisches Proteom-Center, Medical Faculty, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801, Bochum, Germany
- Medical Proteome Analysis, Center for Protein Diagnostics (PRODI), Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801, Bochum, Germany
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Tilley BS, Patel SR, Goldfinger MH, Pearce RKB, Gentleman SM. Locus Coeruleus Pathology Indicates a Continuum of Lewy Body Dementia. JOURNAL OF PARKINSONS DISEASE 2021; 11:1641-1650. [PMID: 34334423 DOI: 10.3233/jpd-212748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lewy body dementia (LBD) has two main phenotypes of LBD, Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), separated by the 'one-year-rule'. They also show different symptom profiles: core DLB features include fluctuating cognition, REM-sleep behaviur disorder, and visual hallucinations. These symptoms are sometimes present in PDD, representing an intermediate 'PDD-DLB' phenotype. OBJECTIVE DLB-like features may reflect deficits in the functions of the noradrenergic nucleus locus coeruleus (LC). Therefore, we compared the LC in the LBD phenotypes, PD, and controls. METHODS 38 PD, 56 PDD, 22 DLB, and 11 age-matched control cases from the Parkinson's UK tissue bank were included. LC tissue sections were immunostained for tyrosine-hydroxylase (TH), α-synuclein, tau, and amyloid-β. TH-neurons were quantified and pathologic burden calculated by %-coverage method. RESULTS The LC shows a stepwise reduction in neuron count from controls, PD, PDD, to DLB. PDD-DLB cases showed an intermediate clinical phenotype that was reflected pathologically. Cell counts were significantly reduced in DLB compared to PDD after correction for demographic factors. LC degeneration contributed significantly to the onset of all DLB symptoms. While α-synuclein was not significantly different between PDD and DLB cases, DLB exhibited significantly less tau pathology. CONCLUSION DLB and DLB-like symptoms represent noradrenergic deficits resulting from neuronal loss in the LC. PDD and DLB are likely to represent a clinical continuum based on the presence or absence of DLB-like symptoms mirrored by a pathological continuum in the LC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bension S Tilley
- Neuropathology Unit, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Shivani R Patel
- Neuropathology Unit, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Marc H Goldfinger
- Neuropathology Unit, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Ronald K B Pearce
- Neuropathology Unit, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Steve M Gentleman
- Neuropathology Unit, Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Orhan Varoğlu A, Aydin A. An Evaluation of Right-Sided Symptom Onset as a Predictor of Poor Parkinson's Disease Prognosis. Cureus 2021; 13:e13493. [PMID: 33633921 PMCID: PMC7899409 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.13493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective The current study aimed to measure and compare neurological disability in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients with right-sided symptom onset with that in PD patients with left-sided symptom onset, using the measurements taken at their first and last visits, to determine if right-sided symptom onset was predictive of a poor PD prognosis. Methods One hundred and forty-three PD patients were included in the study. The Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and the Hoehn and Yahr Scale were used to measure neurological disability in patients at the first and last visits. The scores for the neurological disability of patients at the first and last visits were compared retrospectively relative to disease onset. Results Seventy-six PD patients had right-sided symptom onset (53%), and 67 patients had left-sided symptom onset (47%) (p = < 0.001). The differences between the scores at the first and last visits, measured using the UPDRS and the Hoehn and Yahr Scale, were higher for PD patients with right-sided symptom onset than patients with left-sided symptom onset (p = < 0.001, p = < 0.002, respectively). Similarly, the UPDRS Part II and Part III values, used to evaluate motor function, were higher in PD patients with right-sided symptom onset as compared to those with left-sided symptom onset at the first and last visits (p = < 0.001). Conclusion Right-sided symptom onset was predictive of a poor prognosis in PD patients at follow-up.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Adem Aydin
- Neurology, Kastamonu State Hospital, Kastamonu, TUR
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Lewis MM, Du G, Baccon J, Snyder AM, Murie B, Cooper F, Sica C, Mailman RB, Connor JR, Huang X. Susceptibility MRI captures nigral pathology in patients with parkinsonian syndromes. Mov Disord 2018; 33:1432-1439. [PMID: 29756231 PMCID: PMC6185787 DOI: 10.1002/mds.27381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2017] [Revised: 01/21/2018] [Accepted: 02/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Parkinsonisms are neurodegenerative disorders characterized pathologically by α-synuclein-positive (e.g., PD, diffuse Lewy body disease, and MSA) and/or tau-positive (e.g., PSP, cortical basal degeneration) pathology. Using R2* and quantitative susceptibility mapping, susceptibility changes have been reported in the midbrain of living parkinsonian patients, although the exact underlying pathology of these alterations is unknown. OBJECTIVE The current study investigated the pathological correlates of these susceptibility MRI measures. METHODS In vivo MRIs (T1- and T2-weighted, and T2*) and pathology were obtained from 14 subjects enrolled in an NINDS PD Biomarker Program (PDBP). We assessed R2* and quantitative susceptibility mapping values in the SN, semiquantitative α-synuclein, tau, and iron values, as well as neuronal and glial counts. Data were analyzed using age-adjusted Spearman correlations. RESULTS R2* was associated significantly with nigral α-synuclein (r = 0.746; P = 0.003). Quantitative susceptibility mapping correlated significantly with Perls' (r = 0.758; P = 0.003), but not with other pathological measurements. Neither measurement correlated with tau or glial cell counts (r ≤ 0.11; P ≥ 0.129). CONCLUSIONS Susceptibility MRI measurements capture nigral pathologies associated with parkinsonian syndromes. Whereas quantitative susceptibility mapping is more sensitive to iron, R2* may reflect pathological aspects of the disorders beyond iron such as α-synuclein. They may be invaluable tools in diagnosing differential parkinsonian syndromes, and tracking in living patients the dynamic changes associated with the pathological progression of these disorders. © 2018 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mechelle M. Lewis
- Department of Neurology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey PA 17033
- Department of Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey PA 17033
| | - Guangwei Du
- Department of Neurology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey PA 17033
| | - Jennifer Baccon
- Department of Pathology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey PA 17033
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Akron Children’s Hospital, Akron, OH 44308
| | - Amanda M. Snyder
- Department of Radiology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey PA 17033
| | - Ben Murie
- Department of Pathology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey PA 17033
| | - Felicia Cooper
- Department of Neurology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey PA 17033
| | - Christopher Sica
- Department of Radiology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey PA 17033
| | - Richard B. Mailman
- Department of Neurology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey PA 17033
- Department of Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey PA 17033
| | - James R. Connor
- Department of Neurosurgery, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey PA 17033
| | - Xuemei Huang
- Department of Neurology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey PA 17033
- Department of Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey PA 17033
- Department of Neurosurgery, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey PA 17033
- Department of Radiology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey PA 17033
- Department of Kinesiology, Pennsylvania State University-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey PA 17033
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Giguère N, Burke Nanni S, Trudeau LE. On Cell Loss and Selective Vulnerability of Neuronal Populations in Parkinson's Disease. Front Neurol 2018; 9:455. [PMID: 29971039 PMCID: PMC6018545 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2018.00455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 237] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Significant advances have been made uncovering the factors that render neurons vulnerable in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the critical pathogenic events leading to cell loss remain poorly understood, complicating the development of disease-modifying interventions. Given that the cardinal motor symptoms and pathology of PD involve the loss of dopamine (DA) neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc), a majority of the work in the PD field has focused on this specific neuronal population. PD however, is not a disease of DA neurons exclusively: pathology, most notably in the form of Lewy bodies and neurites, has been reported in multiple regions of the central and peripheral nervous system, including for example the locus coeruleus, the dorsal raphe nucleus and the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus. Cell and/or terminal loss of these additional nuclei is likely to contribute to some of the other symptoms of PD and, most notably to the non-motor features. However, exactly which regions show actual, well-documented, cell loss is presently unclear. In this review we will first examine the strength of the evidence describing the regions of cell loss in idiopathic PD, as well as the order in which this loss occurs. Secondly, we will discuss the neurochemical, morphological and physiological characteristics that render SNc DA neurons vulnerable, and will examine the evidence for these characteristics being shared across PD-affected neuronal populations. The insights raised by focusing on the underpinnings of the selective vulnerability of neurons in PD might be helpful to facilitate the development of new disease-modifying strategies and improve animal models of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Giguère
- CNS Research Group, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Samuel Burke Nanni
- CNS Research Group, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Louis-Eric Trudeau
- CNS Research Group, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Abbott RD, Nelson JS, Ross GW, Uyehara-Lock JH, Tanner CM, Masaki KH, Launer LJ, White LR, Petrovitch H. Marinesco bodies and substantia nigra neuron density in Parkinson's disease. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2017. [PMID: 28626918 DOI: 10.1111/nan.12419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
AIM Marinesco bodies (MB) are intranuclear inclusions in pigmented neurons of the substantia nigra (SN). While rare in children, frequency increases with normal ageing and is high in Alzheimer's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and other neurodegenerative disorders. Coinciding with the age-related rise in MB frequency is initiation of cell death among SN neurons. Whether MB have a role in this process is unknown. Our aim is to examine the association of MB with SN neuron density in Parkinson's disease (PD) in the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. METHODS Data on MB and neuron density were measured in SN transverse sections in 131 autopsied men aged 73-99 years at the time of death from 1992 to 2007. RESULTS Marinesco body frequency was low in the presence vs. absence of PD (2.3% vs. 6.6%, P < 0.001). After PD onset, MB frequency declined as duration of PD increased (P = 0.006). Similar patterns were observed for SN neuron density. When MB frequency was low, neuron density was noticeably reduced in the SN ventrolateral quadrant, the region most vulnerable to PD neurodegeneration. Low MB frequency was unique to PD as its high frequency in non-PD cases was unrelated to parkinsonian signs and incidental Lewy bodies. Frequency was high in the presence of Alzheimer's disease and apolipoprotein ε4 alleles. CONCLUSIONS While findings confirm that MB frequency is low in PD, declines in MB frequency continue with PD duration. The extent to which MB have a distinct relationship with PD warrants clarification. Further studies of MB could be important in understanding PD processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- R D Abbott
- Center for Epidemiologic Research in Asia, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan.,Pacific Health Research and Education Institute, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - J S Nelson
- Pacific Health Research and Education Institute, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - G W Ross
- Pacific Health Research and Education Institute, Honolulu, HI, USA.,Department of Medicine, University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, HI, USA.,Department of Geriatric Medicine and the John A. Hartford Foundation Center of Excellence in Geriatrics, University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, HI, USA.,Veterans Affairs Pacific Islands Health Care System, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - J H Uyehara-Lock
- Department of Pathology, University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - C M Tanner
- San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - K H Masaki
- Department of Geriatric Medicine and the John A. Hartford Foundation Center of Excellence in Geriatrics, University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, HI, USA.,Kuakini Medical Center, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - L J Launer
- National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - L R White
- Pacific Health Research and Education Institute, Honolulu, HI, USA.,Veterans Affairs Pacific Islands Health Care System, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - H Petrovitch
- Pacific Health Research and Education Institute, Honolulu, HI, USA.,Department of Geriatric Medicine and the John A. Hartford Foundation Center of Excellence in Geriatrics, University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, HI, USA.,Veterans Affairs Pacific Islands Health Care System, Honolulu, HI, USA
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Iacono D, Geraci-Erck M, Peng H, Rabin ML, Kurlan R. Reduced Number of Pigmented Neurons in the Substantia Nigra of Dystonia Patients? Findings from Extensive Neuropathologic, Immunohistochemistry, and Quantitative Analyses. TREMOR AND OTHER HYPERKINETIC MOVEMENTS (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2015; 5. [PMID: 26069855 PMCID: PMC4458735 DOI: 10.7916/d8t72g9g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2015] [Accepted: 03/07/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Background Dystonias (Dys) represent the third most common movement disorder after essential tremor (ET) and Parkinson's disease (PD). While some pathogenetic mechanisms and genetic causes of Dys have been identified, little is known about their neuropathologic features. Previous neuropathologic studies have reported generically defined neuronal loss in various cerebral regions of Dys brains, mostly in the basal ganglia (BG), and specifically in the substantia nigra (SN). Enlarged pigmented neurons in the SN of Dys patients with and without specific genetic mutations (e.g., GAG deletions in DYT1 dystonia) have also been described. Whether or not Dys brains are associated with decreased numbers or other morphometric changes of specific neuronal types is unknown and has never been addressed with quantitative methodologies. Methods Quantitative immunohistochemistry protocols were used to estimate neuronal counts and volumes of nigral pigmented neurons in 13 SN of Dys patients and 13 SN of age-matched control subjects (C). Results We observed a significant reduction (∼20%) of pigmented neurons in the SN of Dys compared to C (p<0.01). Neither significant volumetric changes nor evident neurodegenerative signs were observed in the remaining pool of nigral pigmented neurons in Dys brains. These novel quantitative findings were confirmed after exclusion of possible co-occurring SN pathologies including Lewy pathology, tau-neurofibrillary tangles, β-amyloid deposits, ubiquitin (ubiq), and phosphorylated-TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (pTDP43)-positive inclusions. Discussion A reduced number of nigral pigmented neurons in the absence of evident neurodegenerative signs in Dys brains could indicate previously unconsidered pathogenetic mechanisms of Dys such as neurodevelopmental defects in the SN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Iacono
- Neuropathology Research, Biomedical Research Institute of New Jersey, BRInj, Cedar Knolls, NJ, USA ; Movement Disorders Program, Atlantic Neuroscience Institute, Overlook Medical Center, Summit, NJ, USA ; Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Maria Geraci-Erck
- Neuropathology Research, Biomedical Research Institute of New Jersey, BRInj, Cedar Knolls, NJ, USA
| | - Hui Peng
- Neuropathology Research, Biomedical Research Institute of New Jersey, BRInj, Cedar Knolls, NJ, USA
| | - Marcie L Rabin
- Movement Disorders Program, Atlantic Neuroscience Institute, Overlook Medical Center, Summit, NJ, USA
| | - Roger Kurlan
- Movement Disorders Program, Atlantic Neuroscience Institute, Overlook Medical Center, Summit, NJ, USA ; Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City, NY, USA
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Parkkinen L, O'Sullivan SS, Collins C, Petrie A, Holton JL, Revesz T, Lees AJ. Disentangling the relationship between lewy bodies and nigral neuronal loss in Parkinson's disease. JOURNAL OF PARKINSONS DISEASE 2014; 1:277-86. [PMID: 23939308 DOI: 10.3233/jpd-2011-11046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Progressive rostral spread of Lewy body (LB) pathology is thought to reflect the clinical course of Parkinson's disease (PD) although several studies have suggested that LBs are not the toxic species responsible for cell death. We investigated the relationship between nigral dopaminergic cell loss, distribution and density of α-synuclein-immunoreactive LBs and duration of motor symptoms in 97 patients with PD. Density of pigmented neurons was measured in a single section of one half of the substantia nigra (SN) with delineation of the dorsal and ventral tiers whereas the cortical and nigral LB densities were determined using a morphometric approach. The density of nigral neurons was estimated to decrease by 2% each year after confirmation of the clinical diagnosis of PD but showed marked heterogeneity with some PD patients with longer duration of illness still possessing a significant number of preserved pigmented nigral neurons at the time of death. An average 15% of surviving nigral neurones contained LBs and the age-adjusted proportion of LB-bearing neurons appeared relatively stable throughout the disease duration. No difference was observed in the age at death or duration of disease with respect to Braak PD stages. The nigral neuronal density was unrelated to either the Braak PD stage or to cortical LB densities. We conclude that nigral neuronal loss is slow and shows considerable variation in PD. Our data also provides no support for a primary pathogenic role of LBs as neither their distribution nor density was associated with the severity of nigral cell loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Parkkinen
- Queen Square Brain Bank for Neurological Disorders, London, UK
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9
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Abstract
Mitochondrial defects within substantia nigra (SN) neurons are implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. SN neurons show increased mitochondrial defects, mitochondrial DNA deletion levels, and susceptibility to such dysfunction, although the role of mitochondria in neuronal degeneration remains uncertain. In this study, we addressed this important question by exploring changes within the mitochondria of SN neurons from patients with primary mitochondrial diseases to determine whether mitochondrial dysfunction leads directly to neuronal cell loss. We counted the pigmented neurons and quantified mitochondrial respiratory activity, deficiencies in mitochondrial proteins, and the percentage of pathogenic mutations in single neurons. We found evidence of defects of both complex I and complex IV of the respiratory chain in all patients. We found that marked neuronal cell loss was only observed in a few patients with mitochondrial disease and that all these patients had mutations in polymerase gamma (POLG), which leads to the formation of multiple mitochondrial DNA deletions over time, similar to aging and Parkinson's disease. Interestingly, we detected α-synuclein pathology in two mitochondrial patients with POLG mutations. Our observations highlight the complex relationship between mitochondrial dysfunction and the susceptibility of SN neurons to degeneration and α-synuclein pathology. Our finding that the loss of SN neurons was only severe in patients with POLG mutations suggests that acquired mitochondrial defects may be less well tolerated by SN neurons than by inherited ones.
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Doherty KM, Silveira-Moriyama L, Parkkinen L, Healy DG, Farrell M, Mencacci NE, Ahmed Z, Brett FM, Hardy J, Quinn N, Counihan TJ, Lynch T, Fox ZV, Revesz T, Lees AJ, Holton JL. Parkin disease: a clinicopathologic entity? JAMA Neurol 2013; 70:571-9. [PMID: 23459986 PMCID: PMC4202385 DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2013.172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Mutations in the gene encoding parkin (PARK2) are the most common cause of autosomal recessive juvenile-onset and young-onset parkinsonism. The few available detailed neuropathologic reports suggest that homozygous and compound heterozygous parkin mutations are characterized by severe substantia nigra pars compacta neuronal loss. OBJECTIVE To investigate whether parkin-linked parkinsonism is a different clinicopathologic entity to Parkinson disease (PD). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS We describe the clinical, genetic, and neuropathologic findings of 5 unrelated cases of parkin disease and compare them with 5 pathologically confirmed PD cases and 4 control subjects. The PD control cases and normal control subjects were matched first for age at death then disease duration (PD only) for comparison. RESULTS Presenting signs in the parkin disease cases were hand or leg tremor often combined with dystonia. Mean age at onset was 34 years; all cases were compound heterozygous for mutations of parkin. Freezing of gait, postural deformity, and motor fluctuations were common late features. No patients had any evidence of cognitive impairment or dementia. Neuronal counts in the substantia nigra pars compacta revealed that neuronal loss in the parkin cases was as severe as that seen in PD, but relative preservation of the dorsal tier was seen in comparison with PD (P = .04). Mild neuronal loss was identified in the locus coeruleus and dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus, but not in the nucleus basalis of Meynert, raphe nucleus, or other brain regions. Sparse Lewy bodies were identified in 2 cases (brainstem and cortex). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE These findings support the notion that parkin disease is characterized by a more restricted morphologic abnormality than is found in PD, with predominantly ventral nigral degeneration and absent or rare Lewy bodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen M Doherty
- Reta Lila Weston Institute for Neurological Studies, University College London, London, England
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Lin C, Wu CJ, Wei IH, Tsai MH, Chang NW, Yang TT, Kuo YM. Chronic treadmill running protects hippocampal neurons from hypobaric hypoxia-induced apoptosis in rats. Neuroscience 2013; 231:216-24. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.11.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2012] [Revised: 11/20/2012] [Accepted: 11/28/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Milber JM, Noorigian JV, Morley JF, Petrovitch H, White L, Ross GW, Duda JE. Lewy pathology is not the first sign of degeneration in vulnerable neurons in Parkinson disease. Neurology 2012; 79:2307-14. [PMID: 23152586 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0b013e318278fe32] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine whether evidence of neuronal dysfunction or demise preceded deposition of Lewy pathology in vulnerable neurons in Parkinson disease (PD). METHODS We examined the extent of nigral dysfunction and degeneration among 63 normal, incidental Lewy body disease (ILBD), and PD cases based on tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactivity and neuron densities, respectively. The relationship between these markers and Lewy pathology (LP) burden in the substantia nigra (SN) and Braak PD stage was assessed. RESULTS Compared with normal subjects, ILBD cases displayed a significantly higher percentage of TH-negative cells and lower neuronal densities in the SN as early as Braak PD stages 1 and 2, before LP deposition in the nigrostriatal system. ILBD nigral neuron densities were intermediate between normal subjects and PD cases, and TH-negative percentages were higher in ILBD than either normal or PD cases. Furthermore, neuron density and neuronal dysfunction levels remained relatively constant across Braak PD stages in ILBD. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that significant neurodegeneration and cellular dysfunction precede LP in the SN, challenging the pathogenic role of LP in PD and the assumption that ILBD always represents preclinical PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua M Milber
- Parkinson's Disease Research, Education and Clinical Center, Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, USA
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13
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Halliday GM, McRitchie DA, Cartwright H, Pamphlett R, Hely MA, Morris JG. Midbrain neuropathology in idiopathic Parkinson's disease and diffuse Lewy body disease. J Clin Neurosci 2012; 3:52-60. [PMID: 18644264 DOI: 10.1016/s0967-5868(96)90083-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/1995] [Accepted: 08/11/1995] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
We have quantified midbrain cell loss in idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) compared with controls; six patients had PD with onset before 70 years, five patients had late onset PD (>70 years) and nine patients had diffuse Lewy body disease. The pattern of cell loss in these last two groups has not been previously described. No age associated neuronal loss was seen in controls. There was cell loss and reduced area of the pars compacta in all cases but no difference in the pattern of cell loss, which was predominantly ventral. The amount of cell loss in the dorsolateral cluster correlated with the duration of Parkinsonian symptoms, while greater cell loss in the dorsomedial cluster correlated with the presence of tremor and the absence of early dementia. These results suggest that the topography of midbrain pathology does not assist in differentiating these overlapping syndromes.
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Affiliation(s)
- G M Halliday
- Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, Randwick, Australia; Neuropathology Division, Department of Pathology, University of Sydney, Australia
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14
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Yang TT, Lin C, Hsu CT, Wang TF, Ke FY, Kuo YM. Differential distribution and activation of microglia in the brain of male C57BL/6J mice. Brain Struct Funct 2012; 218:1051-60. [DOI: 10.1007/s00429-012-0446-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2012] [Accepted: 07/17/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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15
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Abstract
The motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease are predominantly due to progressive degeneration of nigral dopaminergic neurons. In most cases there is a substantial asymmetry of clinical symptoms from disease onset, which occurs in sporadic and in hereditary forms of the disease. However, the mechanism of such unilaterality of symptom appearance is not understood. There is only sparse information about whether symptom-side predominance is genetically coded and determined years before symptom onset, or whether it is acquired and related to side differences in vulnerability of the degenerating neurons. In this Personal View we review data for unilaterality of symptoms at different disease stages. We also discuss several pathological, genetic, environmental, and toxic possibilities for explaining the mechanism of side predominance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Djaldetti
- Department of Neurology, Rabin Medical Centre, Beilinson Campus, Petah Tiqva, Israel.
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16
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Ross GW, Petrovitch H, Abbott RD, Nelson J, Markesbery W, Davis D, Hardman J, Launer L, Masaki K, Tanner CM, White LR. Parkinsonian signs and substantia nigra neuron density in decendents elders without PD. Ann Neurol 2004; 56:532-9. [PMID: 15389895 DOI: 10.1002/ana.20226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 185] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Substantia nigra (SN) neurons were counted on single, transverse caudal midbrain sections from 217 male participants in the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study, aged 74-97 years at death. Quadrants areas within the SN were determined with a planimeter and neuronal density was expressed as neurons/mm(2) for 10 Parkinson's disease (PD) cases, 29 incidental Lewy body cases, and 178 controls with neither condition. Mean densities in all quadrants were significantly lower in the PD group compared with the other groups (p = 0.006). This relationship was strongest in the ventrolateral quadrant. In a subgroup of 50 controls who were examined with the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale an average of 2.1 years prior to death, there was an association of stooped posture (p = 0.009), postural instability (p = 0.013), body bradykinesia (p = 0.048), and gait disturbance (p = 0.05) with neuron density in the dorsolateral quadrant; and impaired speech (p = 0.014), abnormal facial expression (p = 0.022), and difficulty rising from a chair (p = 0.032) with neuron density in the dorsomedial quadrant. There was a significant association of increasing number of signs present with decreasing neuron density in both quadrants (p = 0.001 for trend). Low SN neuron density may be the basis for parkinsonian signs in the elderly without PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Webster Ross
- Honolulu Department of Veteran's Affairs, Honolulu, HI, USA
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17
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Al-Sarraj S, Maekawa S, Kibble M, Everall I, Leigh N. Ubiquitin-only intraneuronal inclusion in the substantia nigra is a characteristic feature of motor neurone disease with dementia. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2002; 28:120-8. [PMID: 11972798 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2990.2002.00384.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Two types of ubiquitinated inclusions have been described in motor neurone disease (MND). (1) Skein or globular ubiquitinated inclusions in the motor neurones (more frequently in the lower motor neurones). This is a characteristic feature of all motor neurone disease categories. (2) Dot-shape or crescentric ubiquitinated inclusions in the upper layers of cortex and dentate gyrus described in cases of motor neurone disease with dementia (DMND). We investigated the substantia nigra (SN) in MND cases; two cases of motor neurone disease inclusion body (MND-IB) dementia, six cases of DMND, 14 cases of MND (including one case from Guam and two cases of familial SOD1 mutation), four cases of Parkinson's disease (PD), and 10 cases of age-matched normal controls. SN and spinal cord sections were stained with ubiquitin (alpha-synuclein, tau, PGM1, SMI-31 and SOD1 antibodies). The neuronal density in SN was quantified by using a computer-based image analysis system. Four out of six DMND cases showed rounded ubiquitin positive inclusions with irregular frayed edges, associated with neuronal loss, reactive astrocytosis and a large number of activated microglia cells. These inclusions are negative with antibodies to (alpha-synuclein, tau, SMI-31 and SOD1). The SN in cases from MND-IB dementia and MND showed occasional neuronal loss and no inclusions. The ubiquitin-only inclusions in SN of DMND cases are similar (but not identical) to the ubiquitinated inclusions described previously in the spinal cord of MND cases and are distinct from Lewy bodies (LBs). The degeneration of SN is most likely a primary neurodegenerative process of motor neurone disease type frequently involving the DMND cases. MND disease is a spectrum and multisystem disorder with DMND located at the extreme end of a spectrum affecting the CNS more widely than just the motor system.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Al-Sarraj
- Department of Neuropathology and Neurology, King's College Hospital/Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
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18
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Aldrich EM, Peusner KD. Vestibular compensation after ganglionectomy: ultrastructural study of the tangential vestibular nucleus and behavioral study of the hatchling chick. J Neurosci Res 2002; 67:122-38. [PMID: 11754088 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.10076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The tangential nucleus is a major part of the avian vestibular nuclear complex, and its principal cells are structurally distinctive neurons participating in the vestibuloocular and vestibulocollic reflexes. After unilateral peripheral vestibular lesion, a behavioral recovery of function defined as vestibular compensation is observed. Because sprouting and hypertrophy of synapses have been reported in other regions of immature animals after central nervous system injury, we investigated whether this also occurs in the vestibular nuclei during compensation. To test this hypothesis, unilateral vestibular ganglionectomy was performed on 4-6-day-old hatchlings and vestibular function was tested during the next 2 months. Degeneration and evidence for regeneration of synapses were studied in the tangential nucleus at 1, 3, 7, and 56 days after surgery. Spoon endings, large vestibular terminals on the principal somata, degenerated 1-3 days after surgery. However, the small synaptic terminals showed no significant change in the percentage or number covering the soma or in mean terminal lengths in the deafferented or contralateral tangential nucleus. Furthermore, there was no evidence of neuron death in the tangential nucleus. Vestibular compensation occurred in three stages: 0-3 days, when vestibular synapses degenerated and severe behavioral deficits were seen; 4-9 days, when primary vestibular fibers degenerated centrally and marked improvement in both the static and the dynamic symptoms were observed; and 10-56 days, when changes in neuronal morphology were not detected but the dynamic symptoms gradually improved. Accordingly, after unilateral vestibular ganglionectomy, vestibular compensation proceeded without ultrastructural evidence of sprouting or hypertrophy of axosomatic synapses in the hatchling tangential nucleus. This rapid behavioral recovery of function distinguishes the vestibular system from other sensory systems, which, in general, exhibit much less robust recovery after injury to their peripheral receptors.
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MESH Headings
- Adaptation, Physiological/physiology
- Animals
- Animals, Newborn
- Behavior, Animal/physiology
- Cell Count
- Chickens/anatomy & histology
- Chickens/growth & development
- Chickens/metabolism
- Denervation
- Gait Disorders, Neurologic/etiology
- Gait Disorders, Neurologic/pathology
- Gait Disorders, Neurologic/physiopathology
- Microscopy, Electron
- Models, Biological
- Nerve Regeneration/physiology
- Neuronal Plasticity/physiology
- Neurons, Afferent/pathology
- Neurons, Afferent/ultrastructure
- Postural Balance/physiology
- Posture/physiology
- Presynaptic Terminals/pathology
- Presynaptic Terminals/ultrastructure
- Recovery of Function/physiology
- Reflex/physiology
- Synapses/pathology
- Synapses/ultrastructure
- Time Factors
- Vestibular Nerve/injuries
- Vestibular Nerve/pathology
- Vestibular Nerve/physiopathology
- Vestibular Nerve/surgery
- Vestibular Nerve/ultrastructure
- Vestibular Nuclei/growth & development
- Vestibular Nuclei/pathology
- Vestibular Nuclei/ultrastructure
- Vestibule, Labyrinth/physiopathology
- Wallerian Degeneration/pathology
- Wallerian Degeneration/physiopathology
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric M Aldrich
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology and Neuroscience Program, George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20037, USA
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19
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Roitberg BZ, Emborg ME, Sramek JG, Palfi S, Kordower JH. Behavioral and morphological comparison of two nonhuman primate models of Huntington's disease. Neurosurgery 2002; 50:137-45; discussion 145-6. [PMID: 11844244 DOI: 10.1097/00006123-200201000-00022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2000] [Accepted: 08/16/2001] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Huntington's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by movement disorder, cognitive deterioration, and selective striatal degeneration. No effective treatment exists, and thus stable primate models could aid in the development of novel therapies. METHODS Two primate models of Huntington's disease were analyzed: bilateral stereotactic intrastriatal injections of quinolinic acid (QA), and daily systemic intramuscular administration of 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP) for up to 8 weeks in male Cebus apella monkeys. The animals' behavior was evaluated before, during, and 3 months after administration of the neurotoxin. Magnetic resonance imaging scans of the brain were obtained before and after treatment. RESULTS Frontal cognitive function as evaluated by object retrieval-detour task test demonstrated a marked deterioration in successful responses, with an increase in barrier reaches in both groups. No significant change in performance of fine motor tasks was observed. QA-treated animals displayed hyperactivity at night. Animals in both groups demonstrated abnormal posture, and the 3-NP-treated group showed spontaneous and apomorphine-induced dystonia and dyskinesia. The QA-treated group displayed large areas of increased signal on T2-weighted images in the caudate and putamen bilaterally. Treatment with 3-NP resulted in smaller lesions. Immunohistochemistry and morphometric analyses revealed that both groups had lesions in the striatum. A large area of neuronal loss with glial sparing was observed in the QA-treated group, including the caudate and putamen bilaterally. The 3-NP-treated group displayed smaller lesions restricted to the dorsolateral putamen. CONCLUSION These results suggest that both QA and 3-NP induce behavioral and morphological features that resemble the juvenile and akinetic-rigid variants of Huntington's disease, with the group with 3-NP-induced lesions displaying smaller lesions and spontaneous dyskinesia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Zion Roitberg
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Illinois, 912 S. Wood Street, M/C 799, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
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20
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Roitberg BZ, Emborg ME, Sramek JG, Palfi S, Kordower JH. Behavioral and Morphological Comparison of Two Nonhuman Primate Models of Huntington’s Disease. Neurosurgery 2002. [DOI: 10.1227/00006123-200201000-00022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
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21
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Emborg ME, Shin P, Roitberg B, Sramek JG, Chu Y, Stebbins GT, Hamilton JS, Suzdak PD, Steiner JP, Kordower JH. Systemic administration of the immunophilin ligand GPI 1046 in MPTP-treated monkeys. Exp Neurol 2001; 168:171-82. [PMID: 11170732 DOI: 10.1006/exnr.2000.7592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Systemic administration of immunophilin ligands provides trophic influences to dopaminergic neurons in rodent models of Parkinson's disease (PD) resulting in the initiation of clinical trials in patients with Parkinson's disease. We believe that prior to clinical trials, novel therapeutic strategies should show safety and efficacy in nonhuman models of PD. The present study assessed whether oral administration of the immunophilin 3-(3-pyridyl)-1-propyl (2S)-1-(3,3-dimethyl-1,2-dioxopentyl)-2-pyrrollidinecarboxylate (GPI 1046) could prevent the structural and functional consequences of n-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) administration in nonhuman primates. Twenty-five rhesus monkeys received daily oral administration of vehicle (n = 5) or one of four doses of GPI 1046 (0.3 mg/kg, n = 5; 1.0 mg/kg, n = 5; 3.0 mg/kg, n = 5; 10.0 mg/kg, n = 5). Two weeks after starting the drug treatment, all monkeys received a unilateral intracarotid injection of MPTP-HCl (3 mg). Daily drug administration continue for 6 weeks postlesion after which time the monkeys were sacrificed. Monkeys were assessed for performance on a hand reach task, general activity, and clinical dysfunction based on a clinical rating scale. All groups of monkeys displayed similar deficits on each behavioral measure as well as similar losses of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-immunoreactive (ir) nigral neurons, TH-mRNA, and TH-ir striatal optical density indicating that in general treatment failed to have neuroprotective effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Emborg
- Research Center for Brain Repair, Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois 60612, USA
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22
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Perl DP, Good PF, Bussière T, Morrison JH, Erwin JM, Hof PR. Practical approaches to stereology in the setting of aging- and disease-related brain banks. J Chem Neuroanat 2000; 20:7-19. [PMID: 11074340 DOI: 10.1016/s0891-0618(00)00077-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The unbiased sampling techniques of stereology have been developed to avoid the inaccuracies of using 'representative' sections for morphometric studies. In order to carry out a stereologically valid study, the region of interest must be fully available for sampling and its boundaries or its constituents must also be distinctly identifiable. However, in the setting of a brain bank in which only one half of the brain specimen is fixed for morphology, a logistic problem arises in satisfying the needs of the diagnostic neuropathologist with that of the stereologically oriented morphologist. We present a dissection approach in which the region for analysis must be used for unbiased sampling and also be available for paraffin-embedded neuropathologic work-up. Following fixation, a block consisting of the entire region of interest is removed intact and using a multibladed knife the block is subsectioned in the coronal plane at regular intervals. Alternate blocks are chosen for either paraffin embedding and destined to neuropathologic evaluation or are processed for stereology. The stereology blocks can be either cryoprotected or placed in phosphate buffer and are serially sectioned on a cryostat or a Vibratome. Preliminary analyses using this approach have provided reliable estimates of the total number of different neuronal populations and disease-related lesions in a variety of human and non-human banked specimens. In addition, this approach has definite advantages in that it provides rigorous quantitative estimates of neuropathologic changes that can be correlated to clinical data and does not compromise the routine neuropathological diagnostic procedure of the materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- D P Perl
- Department of Pathology (Neuropathology Division), Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA.
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23
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Ma SY, Röytt M, Collan Y, Rinne JO. Unbiased morphometrical measurements show loss of pigmented nigral neurones with ageing. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 1999; 25:394-9. [PMID: 10564529 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2990.1999.00202.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
This study used the dissector method to evaluate pigmented nigral neuronal loss in the substantia nigra pars compacta with age. Dissector counts can be used to estimate the absolute and accurate total neurone numbers. In addition, the area and diameter of the neuronal cell body was estimated by using a computerized morphometric analysis in a single section of the substantia nigra pars compacta. Brain samples from 26 people with an age range from 17 to 90 years were studied. A significant decrease in the total number of pigmented neurones (r=-0.83, P<0.001) and their density (r=-0.83, P<0.001) with age was found in the substantia nigra pars compacta. The number of pigmented neurones counted from a single section also showed an age-dependent decline (r=-0.76, P<0.001). According to the regression equations, the total number of pigmented neurones estimated by dissector counts decreased by 9.8% per decade and the neuronal density decreased by 7.4% per decade. The area of the neuronal cell body decreased by 3.2% per decade. This latter change corresponds to an approximate 4.4% decrease per decade in neuronal volume. These findings show that both the number of pigmented neurones and their size in the substantia nigra pars compacta decreases with age. However, the reductions in the total number of pigmented neurones are more dramatic than the reduction in neurone size with ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Y Ma
- Department of Neurology, University of Turku, Finland
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24
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Ma SY, Ciliax BJ, Stebbins G, Jaffar S, Joyce JN, Cochran EJ, Kordower JH, Mash DC, Levey AI, Mufson EJ. Dopamine transporter-immunoreactive neurons decrease with age in the human substantia nigra. J Comp Neurol 1999; 409:25-37. [PMID: 10363709 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9861(19990621)409:1<25::aid-cne3>3.0.co;2-e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Unbiased disector stereologic cell counting was applied to sections from the human substantia nigra that were immunostained by using a monoclonal antibody against the dopamine transporter (DAT). This antibody was found to penetrate the full thickness of the stained section. Quantification of the number of DAT immunostained neurons was performed in human cases stratified into three age groups, young (ages 0-49 years), middle aged (ages 50-69 years), and aged (ages 70-85 years). The number of DAT-immunoreactive nigral neurons was normalized for each case by constructing a ratio of the number of DAT-containing neurons to total number of neuromelanin-containing cells in each subject's sample. Three types of DAT nigral neurons were seen: type 1, intensely stained; type 2, lightly stained; and type 3, DAT-immunonegative neuromelanin-containing perikarya. By 50 years of age, the number of type 1 neurons decreased significantly (P < 0.0001), whereas the number of type 2 neurons increased with age (P < 0.0001). Type 3 neurons also increased with age (P < 0.01), although less robustly than type 2 neurons. Type 1 neurons decreased by 11.2% per decade, and the total number of nigral neurons (types 1-3) decreased by 6.7% per decade. Relative to the young group, there were 75% and 88% reductions in type 1 neurons in the middle-aged and aged groups, respectively. This contrasts with the 35% and 41% reductions in total number of neuromelanin-containing neurons seen in middle-aged and aged groups, respectively. The young group had significantly more type 1 neurons and fewer type 2 neurons compared with middle-aged and aged participants. Post-hoc analyses indicated that the young group had significantly fewer type 3 neurons compared with middle-aged and aged participants. These findings demonstrate an age-related reduction in the number of substantia nigra DAT-immunoreactive neurons. Therefore, insight into the mechanisms regulating the rate of DAT synthesis may aid in our understanding of the decline of DATs with aging and its functional significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Y Ma
- Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
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25
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Abstract
Total cell numbers within a confined tissue volume, or fractions of cell numbers may be relevant in toxicopathology. They can be estimated with the disector, or the formula of Ebbeson and Tang. For the latter the thicknesses of the sections should be estimated, e.g. with confocal microscopy, or with a vertically embedded section. The use of these methods, in combination with Cavalieri's principle, will avoid the inconsistencies possibly associated with differences in the level of sectioning. Biochemical tests on intracellular specific molecules may be applied on homogenized tissue. If the tissue is composed of different cell types reacting differently to the tested substance, it may be necessary to estimate the fractions of different types of cells in the tissue concerned. Because of cell size differences, single sections do not give truthful results. The problem is solved by applying the formula of Ebbeson and Tang.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Collan
- Department of Pathology, University of Turku, Finland.
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Carthew P, Edwards RE, Nolan BM. New approaches to the quantitation of hypertrophy and hyperplasia in hepatomegaly. Toxicol Lett 1998; 102-103:411-5. [PMID: 10022288 DOI: 10.1016/s0378-4274(98)00246-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
A histological method utilizing the optical dissector principle has been developed for determining the contribution of hypertrophy and hyperplasia to the hepatomegaly induced by the peroxisome proliferator gemfibrozil. The optical dissector is a technique derived from the 'new stereology' and has been used to estimate the number of hepatocyte nuclear profiles, that are present in a reference volume of tissue. The overall changes due to hypertrophy and hyperplasia in the rat liver after gemfibrozil treatment, did not reach significance, although the zonal hypertrophy change did. This indicated that although there was a 20% increase in liver weight with treatment, the hepatomegaly was caused by a combination of hypertrophy and hyperplasia, neither of which, on its own, was significantly different from the control values. The distinction of hyperplasia from hypertrophy, using a purely histological method, will be useful in assessing whether treatment related sustained hyperplasia is occurring in the liver.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Carthew
- MRC Toxicology Unit, University of Leicester, UK.
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27
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Emborg ME, Ma SY, Mufson EJ, Levey AI, Taylor MD, Brown WD, Holden JE, Kordower JH. Age-related declines in nigral neuronal function correlate with motor impairments in rhesus monkeys. J Comp Neurol 1998. [DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9861(19981116)401:2<253::aid-cne7>3.0.co;2-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 204] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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28
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LADEKARL MORTEN. Objective malignancy grading: A review emphasizing unbiased stereology applied to breast tumors. APMIS 1998. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0463.1998.tb05620.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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29
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Ma SY, Röyttä M, Rinne JO, Collan Y, Rinne UK. Correlation between neuromorphometry in the substantia nigra and clinical features in Parkinson's disease using disector counts. J Neurol Sci 1997; 151:83-7. [PMID: 9335015 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-510x(97)00100-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies based on single sections have suggested a significant correlation between pigmented neuronal loss in the substantia nigra (SN) and clinical features in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, disector (DS) counts-unbiased and accurate stereological estimates have not been available. To evaluate total neuron numbers in the pars compacta of the substantia nigra (SNpc) in relation to clinical features, we estimated the neuron counts in the SNpc by the DS method in brain samples from 12 controls and 12 PD patients. The total number of pigmented neurons in the whole SNpc was significantly reduced in PD patients (to 45% of the control mean, P < 0.001). The density of pigmented neurons (neuron/mm3) was reduced to 51% of the average control value (P < 0.001). No significant difference was seen in the volume (mm3) of the SNpc between PD patients and controls. Furthermore, the total number of pigmented neurons in the SNpc showed a significant negative correlation with the duration of disease (r = -0.86, P < 0.001) and with the stage of disease (r = -0.58, P < 0.05) in PD patients. Using an unbiased neuron counting method, these relationships, for the first time, demonstrate that the more severe pigmented neuronal loss in the SNpc is associated with the longer duration and the more severe stage of disease in PD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Y Ma
- Department of Neurology, University of Turku, Finland
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30
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Jastrow H, Von Mach MA, Vollrath L. Adaptation of the disector method to rare small organelles in TEM sections exemplified by counting synaptic bodies in the rat pineal gland. J Anat 1997; 191 ( Pt 3):399-405. [PMID: 9418996 PMCID: PMC1467711 DOI: 10.1046/j.1469-7580.1997.19130399.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The disector is the only objective method for quantifying particles of variable size in a given volume. With this method, cell organelles are identified on adjacent sections, but only those present in one section are counted. When counting extremely rare structures in transmission electron microscope sections (physical disector), the usual procedure of counting on electron micrographs is limited for economic reasons (e.g. micrographs highly outnumbering the investigated structures). Hence, to apply this unbiased stereological method, a modification of the physical disector concerning 3 aspects has been developed. (1) The prerequisite of screening large corresponding tissue areas (here approximately 65000 microm2) was fulfilled by examining tissue areas along the edges of ultrathin sections. (2) The size of the counting frame was determined by measuring the lengths of the section margins (minus a guard area) by means of a Morphomat. This value was multiplied by the width of the investigated tissue zone, corresponding to the diameter of the electron microscope viewing screen. (3) Disector counting was carried out simultaneously on both sections (bidirectional disector) to improve efficiency. In the present study tiny synaptic bodies (SBs) were quantitated by disector in a rat pineal gland, yielding approximately 30 SBs/1000 microm3. By contrast, single section profile counts of SBs amounted to 90 SBs/20000 microm2. Since the presently described adaptation of the disector is time-consuming, it is proposed to determine a proportion factor allowing to estimate number of structures per volume based on single section profile counts. This would decrease the evaluation time by more than 50%.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Jastrow
- Anatomisches Institut der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Germany.
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Kösel S, Egensperger R, Schnopp NM, Graeber MB. The 'common deletion' is not increased in parkinsonian substantia nigra as shown by competitive polymerase chain reaction. Mov Disord 1997; 12:639-45. [PMID: 9380043 DOI: 10.1002/mds.870120504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have estimated levels of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) carrying the 4,977-base-pair 'common deletion' in tissues from patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) by using semiquantitative techniques. The role of this deleted mtDNA species in the pathogenesis of PD has remained controversial. We have applied competitive polymerase chain reaction to achieve exact quantitation of deleted mtDNA in the substantia nigra and additional brain regions of cases with neuropathologically confirmed Lewy-body parkinsonism. In addition, genotyping was carried out for CYP2D6G1,934A and CYP2D6C2,938T alleles and the mitochondrial ND2 (nucleotide 5,460) and transfer RNA for glutamine (nucleotide 4,336) sequence variants. Parkinsonian brains showed 1-3% deleted mtDNA in the substantia nigra, that is, deletion levels were not higher than in age-matched controls. Our findings suggest that the defect in complex I of the respiratory chain observed in PD is not primarily due to the 'common deletion.'
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Affiliation(s)
- S Kösel
- Molecular Neuropathology Laboratory, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
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McRitchie DA, Cartwright HR, Halliday GM. Specific A10 dopaminergic nuclei in the midbrain degenerate in Parkinson's disease. Exp Neurol 1997; 144:202-13. [PMID: 9126172 DOI: 10.1006/exnr.1997.6418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Using unbiased quantitative techniques, we evaluated the effect of Parkinson's disease on the regional size and the number of tyrosine hydroxylase-producing neurons and all neurons in the midbrain A8 and A10 dopaminergic cell groups located adjacent to the substantia nigra. Seven patients with Lewy body Parkinson's disease were evaluated and compared with five controls. Four of the patients with Parkinson's disease had additional neuropathology, and the effect of concomitant pathology on A10 populations was also determined. Degeneration was not observed in the A8 regions of any patient, and only certain A10 nuclei were affected by the disease. The parabrachial pigmented nucleus situated dorsal to the substantial nigra, and the parapeduncular nucleus located rostromedially were significantly reduced by 40-50% in patients with Parkinson's disease. Few differences were found between patients with or without additional pathology, suggesting a similar pathogenic mechanism to that observed in the substantia nigra of these patients. However, patients with additional pathology also had serotonergic cell loss in the caudal linear nucleus. There was a reduction in tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity but no overt neurodegeneration in other A10 regions, suggesting the disease may also influence the production of dopamine in some surviving neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- D A McRitchie
- Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
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Ma SY, Rinne JO, Collan Y, Röyttä M, Rinne UK. A quantitative morphometrical study of neuron degeneration in the substantia nigra in Parkinson's disease. J Neurol Sci 1996; 140:40-5. [PMID: 8866425 DOI: 10.1016/0022-510x(96)00069-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
We studied the pigmented neurons of the substantia nigra (SN) from 8 controls and 20 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) using a computerized morphometric methodology. On the basis of neuronal topography, several anatomic regions were outlined in the SN. In these subregions the area, perimeter, diameter of the cell bodies and cell numbers were measured and were counted in the controls and PD patients. The measurements were made at the level of the exit of the third cranial nerve from the brain stem. In PD patients, when the whole SN was considered, the mean area, mean perimeter and diameter of the pigmented cell bodies were significantly reduced by 35%, 20% and 21% respectively from the control mean values. Regionally, the pigmented neuron area in the medial ventral part (VM), medial dorsal part (DM), lateral ventral part (VL), lateral dorsal part (DL) and pars lateralis part (PL) showed a significant reduction of 33-41% as compared to controls. In these subregions, a significant decrease in PD patients from the control mean values was seen both in the pigmented neuron perimeter, by 19-26%, and the diameter by 19-25%. This decrease in cell size suggests that, in PD patients, the remaining pigmented neurons in the SN are in a process of degeneration and atrophy. In PD patients the number of pigmented neurons in the whole SN decreased about 76% from control values. Evaluation of the influence of cell size on the apparent quantity of cells in sections indicates, however, that in PD patients the impact of true loss of pigmented neurons is far more dramatic than the impact of their decrease in size.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Y Ma
- Department of Neurology, University of Turku, Finland
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McRitchiet DA, Halliday GM, Pamphlett R. Diagnostic evaluation of the substantia nigra. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 1996. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2990.1996.tb00898.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Asanuma A, Yamauchi Y, Koga T, Katayama I. Suppression of age-related changes in mouse hippocampal CA3 nerve cells by a free radical scavenger. Mech Ageing Dev 1995; 83:55-64. [PMID: 8523902 DOI: 10.1016/0047-6374(95)01613-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
This study was designed to evaluate the relationship between oxygen free radicals and age-related morphological changes in hippocampal nerve cells using K-7259 (N,N' bis[4-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)butyl] homopiperazine dihydrochloride), a known neuro-protective agent. A chemiluminescence assay has shown that this agent is a potent free radical scavenger with an IC50 of 1.6 x 10(-5)M. Mice fed diets containing 10, 20, 40 mg/kg/day of K-7259, for periods ranging from 25 to 40 or 50 weeks of age were used as test groups, and 10-, 20-, 30-, 40-, and 50-week-old mice fed a standard diet were used as controls. We measured the number and area of pyramidal nerve cells within a defined frame in the hippocampal CA3 field using an image analyzer and the density of nerve cells by the disector method. These values decreased gradually in controls as expected, and the number and area yielded a significant difference between control mice at the ages of 10 and 30 weeks. As compared with the corresponding controls, all test groups had greater cell numbers (statistical significance at 40 weeks in the 40 mg/kg/day group) and density, while cell areas were greater in all but a 10 mg/kg/day group (statistical significance at 50 weeks). In summary, the free radical scavenger K-7259 forestalled an age-related decrease in the number and size of hippocampal CA3 nerve cells, thus suggesting that free radicals play an important role in the cellular morphological changes which appear with age.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Asanuma
- Department of Pathology, Saitama Medical School, Japan
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Ma SY, Röyttä M, Rinne JO, Collan Y, Rinne UK. Single section and disector counts in evaluating neuronal loss from the substantia nigra in patients with Parkinson's disease. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 1995; 21:341-3. [PMID: 7494602 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2990.1995.tb01068.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
In order to investigate the correlation between single section (SS) and disector (DS) counts for estimating the pigmented neurons in the pars compacta of the substantia nigra (SNpc), 12 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and seven controls were studied. The SS counts were obtained at the level of the exit of the third cranial nerve in the SNpc. The DS counts were made from the whole volume of the SNpc. There was a significant correlation between SS and DS counts (r = 0.94, P < 0.001), suggesting that the methods closely agree. Comparison of SS and DS counts in controls and PD patients showed that the pigmented neurons in PD were decreased by 75% (P < 0.001) and 55% (P < 0.001) in the SS and DS counts, respectively. This study suggests that loss of pigmented neurons from the SNpc in PD can be estimated by either method.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Y Ma
- Department of Neurology, University of Turku, Finland
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