title: Activated microglial cells are colocalized with perivascular deposits of amyloid-beta protein in Alzheimer's disease brain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Microglial cells are present in the center of senile plaques (SPs) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain. Such a localization of microglial cells suggests that they are involved in the deposition or the clearance of amyloid-beta protein (A beta) in the brain. We examined their association with another type of parenchymal A beta deposit, which is termed the perivascular deposits of A beta (PA beta).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thick sections from AD brain were stained with a three-color immunofluorescence method that labeled A beta, activated microglial cells, and vascular endothelial cells simultaneously.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three-dimensional observation under a laser scanning microscope confirmed that perivascular aggregates of activated microglial cells were colocalized with PA beta.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Microglia occur in association with both SPs and PA beta, suggesting that they play important roles in the metabolism of A beta in AD brain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan. t-uchihara.nuro@med.tmd.ac.jp
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uchihara
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akiyama
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ikeda
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017628:Microglia / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides