title: Selective neuronal vulnerability during experimental scrapie infection: insights from an ultrastructural investigation.
abstract: The goal was to test whether all neurons are equally susceptible to degeneration in response to PrP(Sc) scrapie infection. We tested this by immunogold GABA labeling. Our ultrastructural results indicates that GABAergic neurons are less vulnerable than other neuronal populations. This conclusion is supported by our findings: (1) reversal of the normal ratio of non-GABAergic to GABAergic neurons in the terminal stages, which implies that non-GABAergic neurons degenerated earlier, and (2) that the degeneration of GABAergic neurons occurs late in the disease after reactive astrogliosis, a response to nerve cell death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bouzamondo
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Milroy
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Ralston
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Prusiner
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: DeArmond
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006224:Cricetinae; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D012608:Scrapie / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid