Pathological study on nigrostriatum in patients with Parkinson’s disease and Parkisonism plus syndrome / 中华神经科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore histopathological features in the nigrostriatal tissues of Parkinson’s disease (PD)and Parkisonism plus syndrome. Methods The substantia nigra and the striatum of 5 PD cases, 3 progressive supralnuclear palsy (PSP) cases and 3 multiple system atrophy (MSA) cases, and 5 normal aging control cases were examined by routine neuropathological methods and Gallyas-Braak staining and tau, ubiquitin and ?-synuclein immunohistochemistry. Pigmented neurons in the substantia nigra of PD, PSP, MSA cases and normal aging control cases were counted. The neuronal and glial cytoplasmic inclusions in the nigrostriatal tissues were observed. Components of the abnormal proteins were identified. Results Nerve cells in the substantia nigra of PD,PSP and MSA groups showed severe loss in number,especially the ventrolateral zone and the ventromedial zone. Compared with those in the normal aging control group,numbers of nerve cells in the ventrolateral zone of PD, PSP and MSA groups decreased to 37.5%, 24.2%, 33.8% in the right side, and 48.0%, 25.8%, 33.9% in the left side respectively. There were ?-synuclein and ubiquitin-positive Lewy bodies in the substantia nigra of PD. A lot of tau-positive, argyrophilic globous neurofibrinary tangles, tuft-shaped astrocytes and coiled bodies in the substantia nigra and the striatum of PSP were observed.Severe loss of neurons and gliosis in the caudate nucleus and putamen of MSA were found. In addition, ?-synuclein and ubiquitin-positive glial cytoplasmic inclusions were found in the substantia nigra and striatal region of MSA. Conclusions Lewy bodies in PD and glial cytoplasmic inclusions in MSA are related to abnormal depositions of ?-synuclein and ubiquitin.Neuronal and glial cytoplasmic inclusions in PSP are related to abnormal aggregation of tau.