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Symmetric Bihemispheric Postmortem Brain Cutting to Study Healthy and Pathological Brain Conditions in Humans
Published on: December 18, 2016
Mild cognitive impairment: pathology and mechanisms.
Elliott J Mufson1, Lester Binder, Scott E Counts
1Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, 1735 West Harrison St., Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. emufson@rush.edu
Acta Neuropathologica
|November 22, 2011
Summary
Understanding mild cognitive impairment (MCI) requires examining brain changes in autopsy cases. The complex pathology of MCI involves more than just plaques and tangles, highlighting its multifaceted nature in the elderly.
Area of Science:
- Neuropathology
- Geriatric Medicine
- Neurodegenerative Diseases
Background:
- Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a common condition in the elderly.
- The underlying pathological and molecular basis of MCI is not well understood.
- MCI is a human-specific disorder with a non-linear clinical and neuropathological progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize neuropathological changes in autopsy cases with a clinical diagnosis of MCI.
- To explore the complex and varied substrates contributing to MCI.
- To understand the relationship between neuropathology and cognitive decline in MCI.
Main Methods:
- Review of clinical pathologic studies of autopsy cases.
- Analysis of neuropathological findings in individuals with diagnosed MCI.
- Consideration of conventional plaque and tangle pathology alongside other molecular and cellular deficits.
Main Results:
- The heterogeneity of clinical MCI presents challenges in its study.
- The pathological substrate of MCI is complex, involving more than just plaques and tangles.
- Various cellular, biochemical, and molecular deficits contribute to cognitive decline and compensatory responses in MCI.
Conclusions:
- MCI's neuropathology is multifaceted, involving diverse deficits.
- Neuronal disconnection syndrome in MCI likely results from multiple factors, not a single event.
- Degeneration at different central nervous system levels may drive cognitive decline in MCI as a final common pathway.
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