title: Changes in intraneuronal lipopigment in Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: Brains were examined from 22 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) (mean age 80.5, S.D. 11.5) and were compared with brains from 20 nondiseased subjects (mean age 81.1, S.D. 10.2). Intraneuronal lipopigment in all layers of a region of the superior frontal cortex was identified by fluorescence microscopy. The areas enclosed by the outlines of discrete regions of lipopigment autofluorescence were measured and assigned to a range of size categories. AD was associated with significant (p less than 0.05) decreases in the mean number (per neuron) of discrete regions of yellow lipopigment autofluorescence in the three smallest size categories and a significant increase in one of the larger size categories. Also, AD was associated with a significant decrease in the mean number (per neuron) of discrete regions of lipopigment autofluorescence (p less than 0.001). Significant (p less than 0.05) correlations were obtained between the Blessed dementia score (obtained within 2 years of death) and these lipopigment variables. The changes in neuronal lipopigment in AD may reflect an increased rate of lipopigment formation related to membrane and lysosomal abnormalities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Dowson
authors.forename: C Q
authors.initials: CQ
authors.lastname: Mountjoy
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Cairns
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wilton-Cox
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000473:pathology* / Q000523:psychology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006801:Humans; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008055:Lipids; D008247:Lysosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000378:metabolism*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D010860:Pigments, Biological; C051596:lipopigments