title: On the question of apoptosis in the parkinsonian substantia nigra.
abstract: Apoptosis has been postulated as a mechanism of nerve cell death in Parkinson's disease. In the present study, the substantia nigra of 22 neuropathologically confirmed Parkinson cases and 8 control brains was studied using the in situ end-labeling (TUNEL) method. About 50% of parkinsonian brains showed a small number of TUNEL-positive glial cells in the substantia nigra, whereas no neurons showed convincing TUNEL positivity or any morphological signs of apoptosis. No correlation was observed between the number of TUNEL-positive glial cells and microglial activation. Our results fail to demonstrate apoptosis as a mechanism of cell death in Parkinson's disease.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Neuropathology Laboratory, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kösel
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Egensperger
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: von Eitzen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mehraein
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Graeber
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*