Altered lipofuscin pigmentation in the basal nucleus (Meynert) in Parkinson's disease

The basal nucleus (Meynert) and the horizontal limb nucleus of the diagonal band are composed of 3 types of neurons that can be differentiated with the use of Nissl preparations counterstained for the demonstration of lipofuscin pigment. The pattern of pigmentation of these neurons has been investigated in parkinsonian cases and compared with controls. In the parkinsonian cases the number of large multipolar neurons showing pigment granules in a dendritic stem is significantly higher than in controls. Moreover, the degree of pigment penetration is more pronounced in parkinsonian cases. The results show that staining of lipofuscin granules offers an approach to detecting further details of the changes in the basal nucleus in Parkinson's disease.