Glycogen accumulations in the cerebral cortex in Alzheimer's disease

The fine structure of granular glycogen bodies (GGB) within the grey matter of the temporal cortex of 11 patients with Alzheimer's disease is described. GGB measure up to 50 microns in diameter and consist of densely packed alpha or beta glycogen granules (never both), neither of which are membrane bound. They were noted in axons, both myelinated and unmyelinated (sometimes close to the dystrophic neurites of senile plaques), and also in other processes of indeterminate origin. Their appearance may relate to disturbances of axonal transport resulting from damage to terminals within evolving senile plaques.