Apoptosis in subicular neurons: A comparison between suicide and Addison's disease.
BACKGROUND
Stress and depression shows possible links to neuronal death in hippocampus. Subiculum plays a prominent role in limbic stress integration and direct effect of corticosteroids on subicular neurons needs to be defined to assess its subsequent impact on hippocampal plasticity.


OBJECTIVE
This study was intended to assess apoptosis in subicular neurons of a young depressed suicide victim, where presumably stress induced excess of corticosteroids and a case of young Addison's disease with low level of corticosteroids.


METHODS
Both bilateral adrenal glands (Addison's) and subiculum (both cases) were initially stained with hematoxylin and eosin; subicular neurons of both cases were examined for the degree of apoptosis using 'ApopTag Kit'. Apoptotic cell counts were expressed as average number of labeled cells/mm 2 and the results were analysed statistically using a non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test.


RESULTS
Apoptotic neurons were detected in the subicular region of both suicide and Addison victims, and it is statistically significant in both right and left between the cases (P < 0.05). In suicide victim, the neuronal apoptosis is considerably significant between the two hemispheres (P < 0.05), in contrast to Addison disease where the number of neuronal cell death between right and left was statistically insignificant (P > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The present study confirms the vulnerability of the subicular neurons to apoptosis, possibly due to corticosteroids in both ends of spectrum.
Printha
K
K
Genetic Diagnostic and Research Laboratory, Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka, .
Hulathduwa
S R
SR
Samarasinghe
K
K
Suh
Y H
YH
De Silva
K R D
KR