title: Alzheimer's disease: X-ray spectrometric evidence of aluminum accumulation in neurofibrillary tangle-bearing neurons.
abstract: The elemental content of neurons of the hippocampus was studied by a combination of scanning electron microscopy and x-ray spectrometry in autopsy-derived brain tissue from three cases of senile dementia (Alzheimer type) and three nondemented elderly controls. Foci of aluminum were detected within the nuclear region of a high percentage of neurons containing neurofibrillary tangles from the cases of senile dementia as well as the elderly controls. The adjacent normal-appearing neurons from both groups of patients were virtually free of detectable aluminum. These findings suggest that the association of aluminum to Alzheimer's disease extends to the neuronal level.
mesh_terms: D000535:Aluminum / Q000378:metabolism*; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D003704:Dementia / Q000378:metabolism*; D004577:Electron Probe Microanalysis; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008274:Magnesium / Q000378:metabolism; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D009454:Neurofibrils / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012825:Silicon / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000535:Aluminum; D008274:Magnesium; D012825:Silicon