1/13. KP1 expression of ghost Pick bodies, amyloid P-positive astrocytes and selective nigral degeneration in early onset Picks disease.We present a patient with early-onset Pick's disease in which selective nigral degeneration, KP1 expression of ghost Pick bodies and amyloid P-positive astrocytes were found. We also review the literature on early-onset Pick's disease. A 34-year-old man showed personality change including stereotypical behavior. muscle rigidity and spasticity developed later, and he died twelve years after the onset of his illness. The brain showed lobar cerebral atrophy prominent in the temporal lobe, and to a lesser degree in the prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortex. The substantia nigra displayed profound degeneration whereas the head of the caudate nucleus and the putamen were not so seriously affected because the neurons were preserved and only slight astrocytic proliferation was seen. Many Pick bodies were found in the hippocampal formation, and ballooned neurons (Pick cells) were dispersed throughout the cerebral cortex, subcortical grey matter and hippocampal formation. The affected white matter exhibited severe fibrillary gliosis, and numerous astrocytes positive for glial fibrillary acidic protein and microglial cells positive for CR3/43 were found in the atrophied cortical lesions. The intraneuronal Pick bodies expressed ubiquitin, neurofilament and tau, and KP1 distinctly stained ghost Pick bodies. Tau-positive astrocytes were found in the striatum, hippocampal formation, pontine tegmentum, substantia nigra and affected frontotemporal cortices. These astrocytes were also positive for amyloid P. Extensive search of the literature on early-onset Pick's disease disclosed only a few cases with selective nigral degeneration, and we failed to find any differences in duration, progression of the illness and the extent of subcortical gray matter involvement between cases of early-onset and presenile onset of Pick' s disease. We conclude that the striatopallidal and nigral system can be affected independently in Pick's disease and report new immunohistochemical findings.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = putamen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/13. brain lesions of the Leigh-type distribution associated with a mitochondriopathy of Pearson's syndrome: light and electron microscopic study.Pearson's syndrome is a disease of refractory sideroblastic anemia and exocrine pancreatic dysfunction due to abnormal mitochondrial dna (mtDNA). A male infant with Pearson's syndrome developed necrosis of both thalami and basal ganglia when he suffered from gastroenteritis at 1 year and 11 months of age. He died of sepsis at the age of 2 years and 4 months. Analysis of mtDNA from various organs revealed abnormal mtDNA with deletion by 5 kbp, confirming the diagnosis. At autopsy, the brain had symmetrical cavities in putamen, caudate nuclei and medial nuclei of the thalami. Ferruginous granules in nerve cells in medial thalamic nuclei, and scattered round bodies with neuronophagia in lateral nuclei were found at light microscopic observation. Electron microscopy showed that these granules were composed of radiating spicules and a dense layer containing packed cytoplasmic organelles, respectively. The macroscopic distribution of brain lesions was very similar to and characteristic of Leigh's disease. This similarity leads to the supposition that defective intracellular energy utilization common to Leigh's disease could be responsible for brain lesions in this case. Although the histological appearance was somewhat atypical for Leigh's disease, very acute formation of brain lesions in this case was thought to have caused the histological difference.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = putamen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/13. Rapidly progressive autosomal dominant parkinsonism and dementia with pallido-ponto-nigral degeneration.We describe a family with nearly 300 members over 8 generations with 32 affected individuals who have an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive parkinsonism with dystonia unrelated to medications, dementia, ocular motility abnormalities, pyramidal tract dysfunction, frontal lobe release signs, perseverative vocalizations, and urinary incontinence. The course is exceptionally aggressive; symptom onset and death consistently occur in the fifth decade. Positron emission tomographic studies with [18F]6-fluoro-L-dopa (6FD) were performed in 4 patients and 7 individuals at risk for development of the disease. All affected subjects had markedly reduced striatal uptake of 6FD (p less than 0.001). All individuals at risk had normal striatal uptake, but high 6FD uptake rate constants were noted in 3 of the 7 studied. autopsy findings revealed severe neuronal loss with gliosis in substantia nigra, pontine tegmentum, and globus pallidus, with less involvement of the caudate and the putamen. There were no plaques, tangles, lewy bodies, or amyloid bodies. This kindred appears to represent a neurodegenerative disease not heretofore described. We propose the following name for this new genetic disease: autosomal dominant parkinsonism and dementia with pallido-ponto-nigral degeneration.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = putamen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/13. Corticobasal syndrome with novel argyrophilic glial inclusions.A 42-year-old, left-handed woman first noted impaired dexterity of the dominant hand, soon followed by dysarthria and cognitive decline. Over a 4-year period, she developed severe left-sided apraxia with eventual neglect of the left arm and progressive extrapyramidal signs. Cognitive testing showed progressive executive, visuospatial, fluency, and naming impairment with relative preservation of memory. Single-photon emission computed tomography demonstrated asymmetric right posterior frontal and superior parietal hypoperfusion. The clinical impression was corticobasal degeneration. At autopsy, severe atrophy was seen in the perirolandic and frontal regions. There was marked neuronal loss and gliosis in the posterior frontal and precentral regions and less severe pathology in prefrontal, temporal, and parietal areas. Mild to moderate gliosis and neuronal loss were also seen in the putamen, globus pallidus, subthalamic, and dentate nuclei. Gallyas silver stain revealed numerous inclusions adjacent to oligodendrocyte nuclei in white and gray matter of affected cortical and subcortical regions. The gracile inclusions were wavy, slender, and stained positively with antibodies to ubiquitin and alphaB-crystallin but not to microtubule-associated proteins (tau, MAP1B, MAP2), tubulin, neurofilaments, glial fibrillary acidic protein, or alpha-synuclein. The argyrophilic inclusions identified in this case are distinct from those previously described in neurodegenerative diseases.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = putamen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/13. Pontine spongy degeneration of white matter associated with hepatic encephalopathy.Spongy degeneration of white matter localized to basis pontis was found in a 47-year-old woman with hepatic encephalopathy. In this clinical setting, the lesion resembled those changes described by Victor et al and found primarily in cerebral cortex, subcortical white matter, and putamen. Isolated involvement of the basis pontis and ventral midline tegmentum of pons has not, to our knowledge, been previously reported. The morphologic appearance and distribution distinguish this lesion from central pontine myelinolysis. The possible vascular cause of this localized interstitial edema is discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = putamen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/13. Neuropathological study of chorea-acanthocytosis.Neuropathological studies of a woman with chorea-acanthocytosis were reported. The patient clinically showed generalized epileptic seizures, choreatic involuntary movements, hypotonia , areflexia, neurogenic muscular atrophy, tongue-biting and acanthocytosis of the peripheral blood and died from asphyxia at the age of 34. autopsy revealed atrophy of the caudate nucleus but the cerebral cortex was well preserved. Histological examination showed severe neuronal loss associated with moderate fibrous gliosis of the caudate. The putamen was similarly but less markedly affected. The small striatal neurons were more severely depopulated than the large neurons, although the latter were not spared. Cytometrical study of the caudate head revealed that the remaining small neurons were significantly larger in size than the normal small neurons of the same area. The anatomical substratum of the choreatic involuntary movements in chorea-acanthocytosis is thought to be the degeneration of the striatum, especially the caudate nucleus. Neuropathological differentiation of chorea-acanthocytosis from Huntington's chorea which shows similar pathology was discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = putamen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/13. methanol poisoning: a clinical and pathological study.We report 2 survivors of severe methanol poisoning who developed, apart from blindness, a Parkinson-like extrapyramidal syndrome characterized by reduced initiative, poor voice volume, masked facies, mild tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia. Both patients were mildly demented and 1 had hyperreflexia and bilateral Babinski responses. Computed tomographic scans in both patients demonstrated bilateral symmetrical infarction of the frontocentral white matter and putamen. electromyography in 1 patient showed extensive denervation, mainly involving the legs, but normal motor conduction velocities. L-Dopa administered to the more severely affected patient had no effect on the parkinsonian features. autopsy revealed cystic resorption of the putamen and the frontocentral subcortical white matter in additon to widespread neuronal damage throughout the cerebrum, cerebellum, brainstem, and spinal cord.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = putamen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/13. Clinical and neuropathological features of a neurodegenerative disorder in the central nervous system with progressive head drooping (Kubisagari).The clinical and neuropathological features of a case of a neurodegenerative disorder with pronounced and progressive head drooping, in Japanese Kubisagari, are reported. This female patient died at the age of 72 years after an approximately 20-year history of peculiar posture with progressive head drooping (Kubisagari) and lordosis (bowed posture), parkinsonism, dysphonia and slight muscle wasting of the face, tongue, neck, and distal portions of the upper extremities. She did not display mental deterioration until the terminal stage of the illness. A simple macroscopic inspection formalin-fixed sections of the central nervous system (CNS) showed prominent atrophic frontal and temporal lobes, brownish discoloration of the putamen and an atrophic pyramidal tract. light microscopy revealed severe neuron loss with fibrillary gliosis at both the above-mentioned lobes and the putamen. Both the facial and hypoglossal nuclei had almost disappeared. motor neurons in the spinal cord were moderately to markedly decreased. Neither Bunina nor lewy bodies, senile plaque, nor Pick's argyrophilic neuronal inclusions were observed, but very occasionally ubiquitin-positive neurons were found in the temporal cortex. In conclusion, the hitherto-unrecognized neuropathological findings in the CNS corresponding to progressive head drooping (Kubisagari) suggest that this is a neurodegenerative disorder of the CNS, possibly an atypical form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = putamen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/13. Chronic acquired hepatocerebral degeneration: case reports and new insights.Chronic acquired hepatocerebral degeneration (CAHD) is a heterogeneous disorder that can occur with a primary neurologic, hepatic, or combined presentation. Little has been added to the understanding of this disorder since the detailed, early clinical and pathological descriptions. The spectrum of clinical presentations can be neuropsychiatric (apathy, lethargy, excessive somnolence), a movement disorder (ataxia, tremor, chorea, parkinsonism, myoclonus, dystonia), or both. Cortical laminar necrosis and polymicrocavitation in the cortex and basal ganglia are combined with cerebral and cerebellar atrophy. Microscopically, Alzheimer type II astrocytes and cytoplasmic glycogen granules are characteristic. Recent neuroradiological observations in patients with liver failure have shown a specific magnetic resonance (MR) imaging appearance with a hyperintense T1 signal in the pallidum, putamen, and, rarely, mesencephalon. Using clues from a similar MR appearance in patients receiving total parenteral nutrition as well as animals given parenteral manganese, and the knowledge that manganese is cleared by the hepatobiliary system, deposition of manganese in the brain is postulated in patients with CAHD. In this review we describe three cases of CAHD with detailed clinical and radiological documentation and discuss the aforementioned pathogenetic mechanisms.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = putamen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/13. PET study of cerebral glucose metabolism and fluorodopa uptake in patients with corticobasal degeneration.We measured cerebral glucose utilization and fluorodopa metabolism in the brain of patients with corticobasal degeneration using position emission tomography. The clinical pictures are distinctive, comprising features referable to both cerebral cortical and basal ganglionic dysfunctions. brain images of glucose metabolism can demonstrate specific abnormalities with a marked asymmetry in the parietal cortex (the primary motor and sensory cortex and the lateral parietal cortex), the thalamus, the caudate nucleus and the putamen of the dominantly affected hemisphere related to clinical symptoms in six patients. [18F]dopa uptake also reduced in an asymmetric pattern, both the caudate nucleus and the putamen in four patients. This unique combination study measuring both cerebral glucose utilization and fluorodopa metabolism in the nigrostriatal system can provide efficient information about the dysfunctions which are correlated with individual clinical symptoms.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = putamen (Clic here for more details about this article) |
| | Next -> |