Cytometrical and immunocytochemical investigation of brain nuclei in dementia

Morphometrical investigation of brain nuclei in dementia of the Alzheimertyme and in other types of dementia has been done for the last 10 years. The N. Basalis of Meynert (Acetylcholine pathway) has been screened rather extensively by several groups. The L. Coeruleus (Nor-adrenergic pathway) also has been fairly well documented. The N. Raphe Dorsalis however-an important relay nucleus in the serotonergic pathway-was only studied cytometrically by a few groups. Other nuclei were not investigated systematically f.e. N. Accumbens; this nucleus might play an important role however in memory disturbances via Gabaergic influence on excitatory amino acids. This quantitative study focuses on those less well studied brain areas. A cytometrical analysis (cell counts-cell sizing) was performed on serial sections in clinically well-documented cases of different types of dementia: Alzheimer, Pick, Huntington, Jakob-Creutzfeldt. Results were compared with controls and for the N. Accumbens also with the values obtained in the brain of catatonic schizophrenics. The cell sizing and counting was done on cresylviolet sections, on modified Bielschowsky-stained sections and on Peroxidase-Anti-Peroxidase (P.A.P.) treated sections with a polycloncal antibody against Alzheimer Paired Helical Filaments (PHF). Our results show that the nerve cell degeneration in those nuclei is quite different in the diverse types of dementia, pointing to a disease specific physiopathology.