Ubiquitinated eosinophilic granules in the inferior olivary nucleus

Ubiquitinated intracytoplasmic eosinophilic granules were found in the inferior olivary neurons of 99 normal individuals. The granules, ranging from 1 to 8 microns in diameter, were round and appeared in groups. Their number increased significantly with ageing. The frequency of the granules in 12 patients with Alzheimer's disease or spinocerebellar degeneration did not differ from that in normal subjects. The ubiquitinated eosinophilic granules can be considered to represent age-related changes in the inferior olivary neurons.