title: Concentrations of immunoreactive thyrotropin-releasing hormone in the brain of patients with olivoponto-cerebellar atrophy.
abstract: The concentrations of immunoreactive thyrotropin-releasing hormone (ir-TRH) in the brain of patients with olivoponto-cerebellar atrophy (OPCA) were studied. Three patients with OPCA and 8 non-central nervous system degenerative diseases were subjects in this study. Ir-TRH concentration in the brain was measured by radioimmunoassay. Ir-TRH was present in all parts of the dissected brain tissues (hypothalamus, frontal lobe, cerebellar cortex, olivary n., dentate n. and caudate n.) of patients with OPCA and non-central nervous system degenerative diseases. Ir-TRH concentration in the brain of case 1 and 2 was lower in the cerebellar cortex and olivary n., in contrast, ir-TRH concentration in case 3 was higher in the dentate n. The regions and the severity of pathological changes were different in each case of OPCA and changes in ir-TRH concentration in the brain did not always correlate with the severity of pathological changes. These findings suggest that changes in ir-TRH concentration in the brain of patients with OPCA may differ in each case, and may play some pathophysiological role in OPCA.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001284:Atrophy; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002525:Cerebellar Cortex / Q000032:analysis; D002526:Cerebellar Diseases / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002529:Cerebellar Nuclei / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009847:Olivary Nucleus / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D013973:Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000032:analysis*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D013973:Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone