Glutamic acid decarboxylase-like immunoreactive neurites in senile plaques

In the neocortex of an aged (26-year-old) rhesus monkey, a small percentage of abnormal neurites within some senile plaques (defined by the presence of amyloid) were immunoreactive for glutamic acid decarboxylase. This suggests that gamma-aminobutyric acid-synthesizing neurons may contribute to plaque formation in the aged brain.