title: [Expression of tau-related protein in spinal cord of patients with Alzheimer's disease].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the expression of tau-related protein in spinal cord of Chinese patients with Alzheimer's disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Gallays-Braak stain and immunohistochemical study for tau protein (AT8) were carried out in the spinal cord tissue (T2, T8, T10, L2 and S2 segments) of 3 Chinese patients with Alzheimer's disease. Seven age-matched cases without evidence of dementia or neurologic disease were used as controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Neurofibrillary tangles were identified in the neurons of anterior horn in 2 Alzheimer's disease cases but none was observed in the controls. Tau-positive axons and astroglia were detected in all Alzheimer's disease cases. Tau immunoreactivity in spinal cord of the patients correlated with that in brain tissue.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The expression of tau-related protein is demonstrated in the spinal cord of Alzheimer's disease patients suggesting that axonal transport defect may play a role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Neurology, PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China.
authors.forename: Yan-jun
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: GUO
authors.forename: Lu-ning
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: WANG
authors.forename: Ming-wei
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: ZHU
authors.forename: Hong-hong
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: ZHANG
authors.forename: Ya-zhuo
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: HU
authors.forename: Zhi-tao
authors.initials: ZT
authors.lastname: HAN
authors.forename: Ji-mei
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: LI
authors.forename: De-xin
authors.initials: DX
authors.lastname: WANG
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D001370:Axonal Transport; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016874:Neurofibrillary Tangles / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010766:Phosphorylation; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D016875:tau Proteins