[The distribution of senile plaques and acetylcholinesterase staining in the thalamus in dementia of Alzheimer type].
Recent development of histochemical techniques has demonstrated a significant cholinergic projection from the basal forebrain to the mediodorsal and reticular thalamic nuclei. To determine whether the regional distribution of senile plaques is related to the pattern of cholinergic innervation, we studied the distribution of plaques and changes in acetylcholinesterase (AChE) reactivity in the thalamus of patients with dementia of Alzheimer type (DAT). Brains from 2 age-matched patients without neurologic or psychiatric diseases were used as controls. Eight patients with DAT could be divided to 3 groups according to the distributional pattern of plaques; scarcely distributed, localized and diffusely distributed groups. In general, plaques were preferentially distributed in such subnuclei closely related to the cerebral cortex as anterior, intralaminar, mediodorsal nuclei and posterolateral-pulvinar nuclear complex, rather than in the region that receives projections from the basal forebrain. In addition, the majority of plaques exhibited AChE reactivity, while plaques were less common in the region showing the most prominent AChE reactivity in the thalamus of control cases. The present results provide an evidence against the cholinergic hypothesis of plaque formation and indicate an active involvement of AChE in plaque formation.
Yasuhara
O
O
Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University.
Nakamura
S
S
Akiguchi
I
I
Kimura
J
J
Kameyama
M
M
D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D013788:Thalamus / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology
D000110:Acetylcholinesterase