[Clinical and histopathological studies of cases of lafora-like inclusion bodies]

In case 1, 41-year-old male, developed progressive demetia, paretic gait disturbance and pyramidal signs with the duration of three years. The neuropathological study revealed systemic atrophy as type Pick-disease i.e., lobal atrophy in the frontal and the parieto-occipital regions, degenerative changes in the basal ganglia and in the thalamus, nerve cell loss in the substantia nigra and myelin pallor in the pyramidal tract. Lafora-like inclusions were found in the cerebral cortex and in the cochleal nucleus. In case 2, 45-year-old male, showed character change, cerebellar symptomes and mental deteriotation, and ulcers on the oral mucosa during about 15 years long period. Neuropathological examination showed chronic encephalitis in the brain stem, vacuolar change in the neuron in the olivary nucleus and Lafora-like inclusions in the cochlear nucleus. Though neither generalized conversion nor myoclonus were clinicaly observed in these cases, the inclusions showed histochemically strong similarity with that of the Lafora-disease. These Lafora-like inclusions were compared with those in the literatur, which were reported on various disease of CNS. Finally in respect of predilection of the inclusions, it is likely that the inclusions result from same metabolic disturbance in the cochlear neurons in the Lafora-disease as well as in the present cases.