Quantitative studies of the autofluorescence derived from neuronal lipofuscin

The degree of accumulation of neuronal lipofuscin in the human brain can indicate the age of some neurones, may be correlated with certain disease processes and can be affected by drugs. The estimation of the volume of neuronal lipofuscin has usually employed relatively unreliable methods such as counting techniques or visual ratings, while the present paper describes and illustrates a method for measuring the intensity of the autofluorescence derived from neuronal lipofuscin. The relationship between autofluorescence intensity and amount of lipofuscin is discussed.