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Dentate Nucleus Neuronal Density: A Postmortem Study of Essential Tremor Versus Control Brains
Whitney G Hartstone1, Mark H Brown1, Geoffrey C Kelly1
1Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, New York, USA.
Background:
Essential tremor involves the cerebellum, yet quantitative analysis of dentate nucleus neurons has not been conducted.
Objectives:
To quantitatively compare neuronal density or neuronal number in the dentate nucleus of essential tremor versus age-matched controls.
Methods:
Using a 7-μm thick Luxol fast blue hematoxylin and eosin-stained paraffin section, dentate nucleus neuronal density (neurons/mm2 ) was determined in 25 essential tremor cases and 25 controls. We also applied a stereological approach in a subset of four essential tremor cases and four controls to estimate total dentate nucleus neuronal number.
Results:
Dentate nucleus neuronal density did not differ between essential tremor cases and controls (P = 0.44). Total dentate nucleus neuronal number correlated with neuronal density (P = 0.007) and did not differ between essential tremor cases and controls (P = 0.95).
Conclusions:
Neuronal loss, observed in the Purkinje cell population in essential tremor, did not seem to similarly involve the dentate nucleus in essential tremor. © 2020 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
