The overlap of corticobasal degeneration and Alzheimer changes: an autopsy case

The aspects of various neurodegenerative diseases can be observed overlapping with each other during autopsy. Corticobasal degeneration (CBD) is a rare neurodegenerative disease, whereas Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia. In this article, we present the combination of CBD and AD in an autopsy case. The patient, an 82-year-old right-handed woman developed asymmetrical parkinsonism, visuospatial dysfunction and memory loss, as well as subsequent non-influent aphasia over the past 10 years. The autopsy revealed characteristic CBD-related pathology, ballooned neurons, globose tangles and astrocytic plaques, mainly in the frontal cortex and basal ganglia. The Alzheimer-related pathology was also present concomitantly. Senile plagues deposited diffusively throughout the hippocampus and neocortices. Neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) were more confined to the hippocampus. The autopsy demonstrated pathological overlap of CBD and AD, which therefore explained the clinical early development of dementia and parkinsonism. We should suspect the concurrence of various neurodegenerative disorders in any case with atypical or complex clinical manifestations. Tau pathology is a prominent feature in both CBD and AD. Such a combination would be a clue for the pathogenesis of various tauopathies.