Table 1.
An overview of publications that investigated the synaptic density in the cortex along with extracted data.
| Publication | CNS area | Synaptic staining | Investigated anatomical subregion |
Myelin detection |
Result | Population* | Specifics MS | Mean-age (years) | Mean disease duration (years) |
Disability (EDSS) |
Post-mortem interval (h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vercellino et al. (46) |
Cortex - whole cortical section |
IHC - SYN (OD) |
Synaptic vesicle (presynapse) | MBP | No change (M vs. DM) | MS: 6 (5 female) HC: 0 |
3 RRMS, 3 SPMS |
MS: 52 (39–66) | 14.3 (8–29) | 7.2 (6.0–9.0) (including 5 patients, 1 NA) |
NA |
| Wegner et al. (13) |
Cortex - superior frontal gyrus - precentral gyrus - postcentral gyrus |
IHC - SYN (immunoautoradiography) - GAP-43 (growth marker) |
Synaptic vesicle (presynapse) | MBP | Reduction in leucocortical lesions | MS: 9 (7 female) HC: 9, age- and sex- matched |
NA | MS: 56 (32–69) HC: 59.5 (25–72) |
NA | NA | MS: 50 (16–96) HC: 50.5 (16–96) |
| Vercellino et al. (47) |
Cortex - prefrontal cortex - temporal cortex - insular cortex - cingulate cortex |
IHC - SYN (OD) |
Synaptic vesicle (presynapse) | MBP | Overall no change (M vs. DM), focal loss in colocation with activated microglia | MS: 10 (9 female) HC: 0 |
3 RRMS, 7 SPMS |
MS: 53.4 (27–66) | 17.44 (8–30) | NA | MS: < 36 |
| Jürgens et al. (17) |
Cortex - frontotemporal cortex - insular cortex - occipital cortex |
Golgi-Cox impregnation (confocal microscopy) | Dendrite spine | MBP | Reduction in M and DM | MS: 8 (5 female) HC: 8 (3 female), age-matched |
8 SPMS and PPMS | MS: 56.75 ± 10.48 HC: 69.88 ± 11.33 |
>10 | NA | MS: NA HC. NA |
| van Olst et al. (45) |
Cortex - insular cortex - cingulate cortex |
IHC - SYN (confocal microscopy) |
Synaptic vesicle (presynapse) | MOG | Overall no change (vs. control), focal loss in collocation with activated microglia | MS: 20 (11 female) HC: 6 (1 female) |
20 SPMS | MS: 48.9 (35–65) HC: 59.5 (25–72) |
22.75 (5–40) | NA | MS: 16.1 (9–27) HC: 24 (10–30) |
| Vercellino et al. (47) | 1. Autoptic series: Cortex Basal ganglia Thalamus Brain stem |
IHC - SYN (confocal microscopy, individual count) |
Synaptic vesicle (presynapse) | MBP | Reduction in DM (vs. M) | MS: 9 (7 female; cases have been selected for the presence of active demyelinating gray matter lesions) HC: 11 (3 female) |
NA | MS: 47.3 (40–64) HC: 73.5 (35–93) |
21.4 (16–36) (including 7 patients, 2 NA) |
7.7 (7.0–9.0) (including 5 patients, 4 NA) |
MS: 13.8 (7–27) HC: 19.4 (5–33) |
| 2. Autopic series: Cortex - inferior frontal sulcus-superior temporal sulcus |
IHC - SYN (confocal microscopy) |
Synaptic vesicle (presynapse) | MBP | Reduction in DM (vs. HC) | MS: 7 MS (6 female) HC: 7 (4 female) |
NA | MS: 52.3 (39–66) HC: 56.3 (47–65) (including 6 patients, 1 NA) |
15.7 (8–29) | 7.2 (6.0–9.0) (including 5 patients, 2 NA) |
MS: 29.2 (27–30) (including 6 patients, 1 NA) HC: 29.0 (26–34 (including 6 patients, 1 NA) |
If information was available, the given population represents the subjects in which synaptic measurements were done. Mean values were adjusted as far as possible.
DM, demyelinated area; EDSS, expanded disability status scale; HC, healthy control (used also for a person without neurological disability); IHC, immunohistochemistry; M, myelinated area; MBP, myelin basic protein; MOG, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein; MS, multiple sclerosis; NA, no data available; OD, optical density; PLP, myelin proteolipid protein; PPMS, primary progressive multiple sclerosis; RRMS, relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis; RT-PCR, real-time PCR; SPMS, secondary progressive multiple sclerosis; SYN, synaptophysin; vs., versus.