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Comprehensive Autopsy Program for Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis
Published on: July 19, 2019
Substantial archaeocortical atrophy and neuronal loss in multiple sclerosis
Dimitrios Papadopoulos1, Sumayya Dukes, Ryan Patel
1Department of Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, UK. papadopoulos@otenet.gr
Brain Pathology (Zurich, Switzerland)
|May 22, 2008
Summary
Multiple sclerosis (MS) causes significant hippocampal damage, including demyelination and neuronal loss. This archaeocortical pathology likely contributes to the memory problems frequently experienced by MS patients.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pathology
- Neurology
Background:
- Extensive neocortical pathology is recognized in multiple sclerosis (MS).
- The hippocampus, crucial for memory, is an understudied archaeocortical structure in MS.
- Memory impairments, particularly episodic and anterograde, are common in MS patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate inflammatory demyelination and neurodegenerative changes in the MS hippocampus (archaeocortex).
- To quantitatively analyze hippocampal autopsy tissue from progressive MS cases and controls.
Main Methods:
- Histopathological examination of hippocampal autopsy tissue from 45 progressive MS cases and 7 controls.
- Detailed quantitative analysis of demyelination, neuronal numbers, and neuronal size.
- Assessment of hippocampal atrophy via cross-sectional area measurement.
Main Results:
- Forty-one lesions were identified in 28 MS hippocampi, with an average demyelination of 30.4%.
- Significant neuronal loss observed: 27% in CA1 and 29.7% in CA3-2.
- Hippocampal atrophy (22.3% reduction in area) correlated with neuronal loss.
Conclusions:
- Substantial archaeocortical pathology, similar to neocortical patterns, occurs in the MS hippocampus.
- Hippocampal involvement, including demyelination and neurodegeneration, is evident in progressive MS.
- This pathology likely contributes significantly to memory impairments in multiple sclerosis.
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