Expression of tau-related protein in spinal cord of patients with Alzheimer's disease / 中华病理学杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the expression of tau-related protein in spinal cord of Chinese patients with Alzheimer's disease.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>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.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>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.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>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.</p>