Table 4.
An overview of publications that investigated the synaptic density in the cerebellum, the thalamus, and in the spinal cord, 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kutzelnigg et al. (48) |
Cerebellum - granule cell layer |
IHC - SYN (OD) |
Synaptic vesicle (presynapse) | PLP | No change | MS:7 HC: 0 |
7 M | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Howell et al. (49) |
Cerebellum - granule cell layer - molecular layer |
IHC - SYN (OD) |
Synaptic vesicle (presynapse) | MOG | No change | MS: 27 (19 female) HC: 11 (8 female) |
27 SPMS | MS: 53.4 (30–64) HC: 66.5 (35–84) |
24.1 (6–40) | NA | MS: 25.7 ± 4 HC: 21.5 ± 4.1 |
| Albert et al. (20) |
Cerebellum - dentate nucleus |
IHC - SYN (confocal microscopy, light microscopy, manual count) |
Synaptic vesicle (presynapse) | MBP, PLP | Reduction in M and DM | MS: 16 MS overall (6 female) HC: 8 HC overall (gender NA), age-matched |
2 Acute MS, 1 RRMS, 5 SPMS, 6 PPMS, 2 NA; 9 M, 7 DM | MS: 53 (36–69) (including 15 p., 1 NA) HC: NA |
11.9 (<1–30) (including 12 patients, 4 NA) | NA | NA |
| Electron microscopy | Suggests lysosomal degradation of synapses | MS: 1 (female) HC: 1 (male) |
1 SPMS | MS: 39 HC: 55 |
14 | NA | NA | ||||
| Wernburg et al. (19) |
Thalamus - lateral geniculate nucleus (retinogeniculate system) |
IHC (using confocal microscopy) - VGluT2 |
Presynapse | Reduction compared to controls | MS: 5 (3 female) HC: 5 (2 female) |
4 progressive MS, 1 PPMS | MS: 70.4 (59–78) HC: 67.4 (58–84) |
NA | NA | MS: 12.8 (7–24) HC: 32.6 (24–50) |
|
| Petrova et al. (21) |
Spinal cord - cervical, thoracic and lumbar cord levels |
IHC - SYN - Synapsin 1 |
Synaptic vesicle (presynapse) | MBP | Reduction in M and DM | MS: 15 HC: 7 |
NA | MS: 69 ± 11 HC: 82 ± 7 |
29 ± 11 | NA | MS: 36 ± 17 HC: 36 ± 17 |
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 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.