On the distribution of senile changes in the spinal cord

Using serially sectioned spinal cords, studies were made on the number of Alzheimer's neurofibrillary tangles, and the distribution of lipofuscin in five cases of clinically and histopathologically confirmed Alzheimer's disease, 10 cases of similarly confirmed senile dementia and 10 cases of mentally normal people. Alzheimer's neurofibrillary tangles were not observed at all in Alzheimer's disease and in the conrol group. A very small number of them were found in the intermediolateral cell, posterior column cell, anterolateral cell, and anteromedian cell groups in three cases of senile dementia. The deposition of lipofuscin was high in the anterolateral and posterolateral cell groups and nucl. dorsalis in all of the cases of Alzheimer's diseases, senile dementia and the control group. It is worthy of note that the Alzheimer's group, for its age, showed a relatively greater amount of lipofuscin.