title: Human striatum: the distribution of neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: The distribution of neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques was surveyed in the striatum of Alzheimer's disease cases. Neurofibrillary tangles were present throughout the striatum, but displayed significantly higher densities in the nucleus accumbens, olfactory tubercle and tail of the caudate nucleus. Senile plaques with dense amyloid cores showed a similar pattern of distribution. By contrast, non-cored senile plaques were homogeneously distributed in all striatal territories. No tangles and few plaques were observed in the striatum of control cases. These findings suggest that the 'limbic' striatum is preferentially vulnerable to pathology in Alzheimer's disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Selden
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Mesulam
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Geula
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology*; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017072:Neostriatum / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology*; D016874:Neurofibrillary Tangles / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase