Brain pathology in three subjects from the same pedigree with presenilin-1 (PSEN1) P264L mutation.
OBJECTIVE
Our goal was to assess pathological lesions with respect to type and distribution and to compare these results with the clinical presentation including symptoms and mode of progression in three members of the same pedigree with a P264L presenilin-1 gene mutation.


METHODS
We used immunohistochemistry and a tissue microarray technique applied to post mortem brain tissue samples.


RESULTS
All three subjects were demented, one subject displayed spastic paraparesis and two had Parkinsonism. All three cases displayed abundant cotton wool plaques composed of amyloid-beta42 but also containing other proteins, for example, hyperphosphorylated tau and in one case TAR DNA binding protein 43. The distribution of the pathology varied and seemed to some extent to be related to the clinical phenotype. An association was detected between neocortical/thalamic involvement and psychiatric symptoms, between striatal/amygdaloid involvement and Parkinsonism, and between brainstem involvement and spastic paraparesis.


CONCLUSIONS
Subjects from the same pedigree carrying the same mutation display a clear variability in the type and distribution of pathology as well as in their clinical symptoms. These results emphasize that still unknown factors significantly alter the pathological and clinical phenotypes in genetically predetermined disease.
Department of Clinical Medicine, Neurology, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland.
P
P
Martikainen
M
M
Pikkarainen
K
K
Pöntynen
M
M
Hiltunen
M
M
Lehtovirta
S
S
Tuisku
H
H
Soininen
I
I
Alafuzoff
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation; D010375:Pedigree; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D053764:Presenilin-1 / Q000235:genetics*; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis
D053764:Presenilin-1