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American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias logoLink to American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias
. 2010 Nov;25(7):585–591. doi: 10.1177/1533317510382892

Morphological Changes of the Human Purkinje Cells and Deposition of Neuritic Plaques and Neurofibrillary Tangles on the Cerebellar Cortex of Alzheimer’s Disease

Ioannis A Mavroudis 1, Dimitrios F Fotiou 2, Luc F Adipepe 3, Marina G Manani 4, Samuel D Njau 5, Dimitrios Psaroulis 6, Vasiliki G Costa 7, Stavros J Baloyannis 8
PMCID: PMC10845446  PMID: 20870670

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by progressive decline in memory and in social performance. The morphological hallmarks of the disease are neuronal loss, loss of dendritic spines, neurofibrillary degeneration and neuritic plaques mainly in the hippocampus and the cortex of the cerebral hemispheres. This study is based on the morphological analysis of the cerebellar cortices of eight brains, 4 patients suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and 4 normal controls, by Golgi method, as well as Nissl, Gallyas’, Bielschowsky’s, Methenamine Silver staining and Congo red methods. Although typical neuritic plaques were not seen in the cerebellar cortex and the diffuse plaques found in the cerebellum in far smaller proportion than plaques in the prefrontal and parietal cortices of the same cases, Golgi impregnation technique revealed a loss of Purkinje cells and a marked decrease in the density of dendritic arborization.

Keywords: Alzheimer, Purkinje, cerebellum, golgi method, diffuse plaques

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Contributor Information

Ioannis A. Mavroudis, Laboratory of Neuropathology and Electron Microscopy, First Department of Neurology, Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece, iamav79@hotmail.com .

Dimitrios F. Fotiou, Laboratory of Neuropathology and Electron Microscopy, First Department of Neurology, Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Luc F. Adipepe, Laboratory of Neuropathology and Electron Microscopy, First Department of Neurology, Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Marina G. Manani, Laboratory of Neuropathology and Electron Microscopy, First Department of Neurology, Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Samuel D. Njau, Laboratoy of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Dimitrios Psaroulis, Laboratoy of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Vasiliki G. Costa, Laboratory of Neuropathology and Electron Microscopy, First Department of Neurology, Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Stavros J. Baloyannis, Laboratory of Neuropathology and Electron Microscopy, First Department of Neurology, Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.

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