TABLE 1.
Clinical and pathological data on controls and ET cases
| Controls | ET cases | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| n | 25 | 25 | |
| Age at death (yr) | 81.7 ± 9.2 | 84.2 ± 6.2 | 0.27a |
| Gender | 0.56b | ||
| Men | 14 (56.0) | 17 (68.0) | |
| Women | 11 (44.0) | 8 (32.0) | |
| ET medications | β-blocker 21 (84.0) | ||
| Primidone: 17 (68.0) | |||
| Other ET medication: 12 (48.0) | |||
| Ethanol (no. drinks/day) | 0.8 ± 0.4 | ||
| Median = 0.9 | |||
| Total tremor score (range = 0–36) | 26.4 ± 5.3 | ||
| Median = 25.0 | |||
| Minimum = 18 | |||
| Maximum = 36 | |||
| Brain weight (g) | 1203.4 ± 143.8 | 1220.3 ± 136.2 | 0.67a |
| Postmortem interval (h) | 16.2 ± 10.9 | 26.4 ± 8.1 | <0.001c |
| Median = 13.9 | Median =27.5 | ||
| Braak AD staged | 0.22e | ||
| 0 | 4 (16.0) | 0 (0.0) | |
| I-II | 15 (60.0) | 12 (50.0) | |
| III-IV | 5 (20.0) | 10 (41.7) | |
| V-VI | 1 (4.0) | 2 (8.3) | |
| CERAD plaque scored | 0.32e | ||
| 0 | 11 (45.8) | 11 (45.8) | |
| A | 10 (41.7) | 7 (29.2) | |
| B | 3 (12.5) | 3 (12.5) | |
| C | 0 (0.0) | 3 (12.5) | |
| Purkinje cell countf,g | 11.6 ± 1.8 | 8.6 ± 1.4 | <0.001a |
| Torpedoesh | 6.2 ± 7.6 | 14.3 ± 12.3 | 0.003c |
| Median = 4.0 | Median = 9 | ||
| Total DN neuronal density (neurons/mm2) | 27.1 ± 6.20 | 28.8 ± 8.47 | 0.44a |
| Ventral DN neuronal density (neurons/mm2) | 27.1 ± 7.01 | 29.3 ± 8.75 | 0.35a |
| Dorsal DN neuronal density (neurons/mm2) | 27.3 ± 5.78 | 28.3 ± 8.63 | 0.62a |
| Total DN neuron number (×106) | 2.11 ± 0.35 | 2.09 ± 0.31 | 0.95a |
| Median = 2.14 | Median = 1.99 |
Values represent mean ± SD or number (%).
For variables that were not normally distributed, the median is reported as well.
Student t test.
Fisher’s exact test.
Mann-Whitney test.
Data available on <50 brains.
χ2 test.
Mean number of Purkinje cells per 100× microscopic field, among 15 sampled fields.
For the eight controls versus five ET cases not reported in Louis et al.7 or Choe et al.,8 mean ± SD Purkinje cell counts were 12.7 ± 1.8 versus 9.2 ± 0.6 (given the small number, these were not subjected to statistical testing).
For the eight controls versus five ET cases not reported in Louis et al.7 or Choe et al.,8 median torpedo counts were 8.5 versus 20 (given the small number, these were not subjected to statistical testing).
Abbreviations: AD, Alzheimer’s disease; CERAD, the Consortium to establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s disease; DN, dentate nucleus; SD, standard deviation.