title: Depletion of mesopontine cholinergic and sparing of raphe neurons in multiple system atrophy.
abstract: The authors immunocytochemically identified mesopontine cholinergic and rostral raphe serotonergic neurons in brains obtained at autopsy from four patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA) and four matched controls. There was a severe depletion of cholinergic neurons in the pedunculopontine (20 +/- 2 vs 81 +/- 10 cells/section, p< 0.001) and laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (18 +/- 3 vs 47 +/- 4 cells/section, p < 0.001) in MSA. Whereas there was also depletion of locus ceruleus neurons, there was a striking preservation of rostral raphe neurons in MSA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. benarroch.eduardo@mayo.edu
authors.forename: Eduardo E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Benarroch
authors.forename: Ann M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Schmeichel
authors.forename: Joseph E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Parisi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002799:Cholinergic Fibers / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019578:Multiple System Atrophy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D011149:Pons / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D011903:Raphe Nuclei / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*