Neuropathological study of the nucleus basalis of meynert in alcoholic dementia

Intellectual impairment and mental disorders occurring in association with long periods of alcohol abuse are often irreversible; those persons who have difficulty leading normal daily lives because of such disorders are considered to have alcoholic dementia. We investigated this condition from the standpoint of pathomorphology. The subjects were nine autopsy cases of alcoholic dementia; three alcoholic autopsy cases of about the same age level but without dementia were also studied as a control group. In these two groups, the nucleus basalis of Meynert in the substantia innominata was selected as fixed site and nerve cells were counted; strict anatomical measurements were performed on this fixed site, and every effort was made to minimized artifacts in each case. The nucleoli of the nerve cells at this site were calculated in a fixed area on the basis of a fixed magnification; this was repeated in serial sections, and the number of nerve cells on a fixed volume was thus obtained. The "t" distribution test within the two groups was investigated; a probability value of less than 0.05 was obtained and the null hypothesis abandoned. Mean values were found to be different. The results obtained were compared with those found in literature, and important findings concerning lesions in alcoholic dementia were noted.