title: [Essential feature of the neuropathological findings in ALS of Guam].
abstract: The amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and parkinsonism-dementia complex (PDC) were the fatal neurological diseases, showing very high incidence during 1945-1965 and dramatic decrease after 1970 on Guam. Based on the findings obtained, it is proposed that (a) NFTs in ALS of Guam are merely a background feature widely distributed in this population, (b) Guam ALS occurs initially as classic ALS, (c) ALS-PDC mixed patient is a case combined with classic ALS and neurofibrillary degeneration, (d) thus a subtype of "Guam ALS" is not present, (e) PDC and ALS of Guam are basically different diseases, and (f) PDC is a discrete disease entity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Neuroscience, 2-6 Musashidai, Fuchu, Tokyo 183-8526, Japan.
authors.forename: Kiyomitsu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oyanagi
authors.forename: Tomoyo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
mesh_terms: D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000473:pathology*; D001284:Atrophy; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000473:pathology*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D003704:Dementia / Q000473:pathology; D006141:Guam; D006801:Humans; D016874:Neurofibrillary Tangles / Q000473:pathology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins