Glial fibrillary tangles with straight tubules in the brains of patients with progressive supranuclear palsy.
A recent report has described the appearance of silver positive, tau-immunoreactive astrocytes in the brains of patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) (Neurosci. Lett., 135 (1992) 99-102). In this study we confirmed this finding in two cases of PSP by using Bodian silver staining and immunohistochemistry with antibody to human tau protein. By electron microscopy we demonstrated that fibrillary masses present in these unique astrocytes were made up of straight tubules that were indistinguishable from those of neurofibrillary tangles of PSP. The term 'glial fibrillary tangle' was proposed for these structures.
Nishimura
M
M
Department of Neurology, Tokyo Metropolitan Neurological Hospital, Japan.
Namba
Y
Y
Ikeda
K
K
Oda
M
M
D000368:Aged; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008636:Mesencephalon / Q000473:pathology; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000473:pathology; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D016874:Neurofibrillary Tangles / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D016622:Silver Staining; D013494:Supranuclear Palsy, Progressive / Q000473:pathology*; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000032:analysis*
D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D016875:tau Proteins