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Alpha-synuclein inclusions in amygdala in the brains of patients with the parkinsonism-dementia complex of Guam.

Abstract
We investigated by immunohistochemistry the deposition of alpha-synuclein in the brains of deceased patients with the parkinsonism-dementia complex (PDC) of Guam. Five of 13 PDC brains showed numerous alpha-synuclein positive neuronal inclusions and abnormal neurites, chiefly in the amygdala. Similar alpha-synuclein positive lesions were observed, although to a lesser extent, in the entorhinal cortex and the dorsal vagal nucleus. No alpha-synuclein positive inclusions were observed in motor cortex or locus coeruleus, and only a small number of positive inclusions were found in the Sommer's sector, temporal cortex, or substantia nigra. Some of the alpha-synuclein positive inclusions were reminiscent of cortical Lewy bodies (LB), but many of those in the amygdala coexisted with tau-positive pretangles and/or neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) within the same neurons. In these neurons, tau-positive shells encapsulated alpha-synuclein positive central cores or irregularly shaped alpha-synuclein-positive deposition intermingled with pretangles/NFT. Thus, the present study suggests that a common mechanism may govern aggregation of alpha-synuclein and tau in the amygdala, and that aggregation of alpha-synuclein may play some role in the neurodegenerative process of a tauopathy (i.e. PDC) in which Abeta deposition is virtually absent.
AuthorsM Yamazaki, Y Arai, M Baba, T Iwatsubo, O Mori, Y Katayama, K Oyanagi
JournalJournal of neuropathology and experimental neurology (J Neuropathol Exp Neurol) Vol. 59 Issue 7 Pg. 585-91 (Jul 2000) ISSN: 0022-3069 [Print] England
PMID10901229 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
Chemical References
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins
  • SNCA protein, human
  • Synucleins
  • alpha-Synuclein
  • tau Proteins
Topics
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Amygdala (chemistry, pathology)
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (pathology)
  • Dementia (pathology)
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique
  • Guam
  • Humans
  • Inclusion Bodies (chemistry, pathology)
  • Middle Aged
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins (analysis)
  • Parkinsonian Disorders (pathology)
  • Plaque, Amyloid (chemistry, pathology)
  • Synucleins
  • alpha-Synuclein
  • tau Proteins (analysis)

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