Clusterin as a marker for ischaemic Purkinje cells in human brain

Clusterin has been implicated in cell death both in peripheral tissues and in the central nervous system. In the present study, expression of clusterin in the cerebellar cortex was examined in two cases with hypoxic brain damage and in one case with cerebellar infarction. Intense staining of Purkinje cells was observed in each case, and these cells showed the shrunken and pyknotic appearance characteristic of irreversible ischaemic damage. In the cerebella of neurologically normal control cases, as well as in those of some other neurodegenerative diseases, no staining or only punctate staining of Purkinje cells was observed. The results provide additional evidence supporting an association of clusterin with dying neurons in human brain.