Abstract
The distribution of acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-rich pyramidal neurons was studied in the cortices of 7 Alzheimer's Disease (AD) patients and 4 normal-aged subjects. Both groups showed a characteristic distribution of these neurons with the highest density in motor and premotor areas, moderate density in association cortices, and low density in limbic-paralimbic areas. Three areas (Brodmann areas 6,22, and 24) were chosen for quantitative analysis. The number of pyramidal neurons that display an AChE-rich staining pattern was significantly reduced in AD patients. Nerve cell density was not significantly different in adjacent Nissl-stained sections. The density of AChE-rich (cholinergic) fibers was also decreased in all three cortical areas of the AD patients but was not correlated with the number of AChE-rich neurons. Loss of AChE-rich neurons was more pronounced in areas with high counts of tangles. These findings show that layer 3 and 5 pyramidal neurons in AD display a reduction of AChE activity. This phenomenon can not be attributed to the well known loss of cortical neurons or cholinergic innervation in AD.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 455-460 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Neurobiology of Aging |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1992 |
Funding
We thank Kristin Bouv6 and Christine Calabrese for expert technical assistance. Supported in part by an Alzheimer's Disease Research Center Grant (AG 05134), Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award (NS 20285) and the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association. S.H. is recipient of a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsge-meinschaft (DFG).
Keywords
- Acetylcholinesterase
- Alzheimer's disease
- Histochemistry
- Human cerebral cortex
- Pyramidal neurons
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Neurology
- Geriatrics and Gerontology
- Aging
- General Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology