Skip to main content
Log in

Neuronal loss, neurofibrillary tangles and granulovacuolar degeneration in the hippocampus with ageing and dementia

A quantitative study

  • Original Investigations
  • Published:
Acta Neuropathologica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

The number of pyramidal neurones in the hippocampal cortex was determined in serially sectioned mesial temporal lobe from brains of 18 mentally normal people; as well as those of 8 demented patients with pathologically confirmed Alzheimer's disease. Normal ageing was accompanied by a gradual loss of neurones, whereas dements' brains showed a much more severe decrease, exceeding that of controls at any age.

A high degree of negative exponential correlation was found between the density of neurones/mm3 of cortex and both the number of neurones with neurofibrillary degeneration and the number with granulovacuolar degeneration. The functional significance of the latter changes is thus probably greater than previously assumed, given the diminished population of surviving neurones in which these alterations appear. Both tangles and granulovacuoles demonstrated a stronger propensity for occurring in the posterior half of the hippocampus in demented patients' brains. This would not have been predicted from the relative distribution of neuronal loss in the two halves. The posterior portion of the hippocampus may be considerably more susceptible to the degenerative nerve cell changes prominent in dementia of the Alzheimer type.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ball, M. J.: Neurofibrillary tangles and the pathogenesis of dementia — a quantitative study. Neuropath. appl. Neurobiol.2, 395–410 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ball, M. J., Lo, P.: Granulovacuolar degeneration in the ageing brain and in dementia. J. Neuropath. exp. Neurol. (in press, 1977)

  • Blackwood, W., McMenemey, W. H., Meyer, A., Norman, R. M., Russell, D. S.: Greenfield's Neuropathology, p. 531, 2nd ed. London: E. Arnold Ltd. 1971

    Google Scholar 

  • Blessed, G., Tomlinson, B. E., Roth, M.: The association between quantitative measures of dementia and of senile change in the cerebral grey matter of elderly subjects. Brit. J. Psychiat.114, 797–811 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Brody, H.: Organization of the cerebral cortex. III. A study of ageing in the cerebral cortex. J. comp. Neurol.102, 511–556 (1955)

    Google Scholar 

  • Colon, E. J.: The elderly brain — a quantitative analysis in the cerebral cortex of two cases. Psychiat. Neurol. Neurochir. (Amst.)75, 261–270 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Colon, E. J.: The cerebral cortex in presenile dementia — a quantitative analysis. Acta neuropath. (Berl.)23, 281–290 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Corsellis, J. A. N.: Neuronal loss in the ageing brain. Proc. 10th Int. Cong. Gerontol., Jerusalem, vol. 1, pp. 109–113 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dayan, A. D.: Quantitative histological studies on the aged human brain. II. Senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in senile dementia. Acta neuropath. (Berl.)16, 95–102 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Grünthal, E.: Die pathologische Anatomie der senilen Demenz und der Alzheimerschen Krankheit. In: Handbuch der Geisteskrankheiten (eds. O. Bumke and O. Forster), pp. 638–672. Berlin: Springer 1930

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, T. C., Miller, A. K. H., Corsellis, J. A. N.: Variations in the human Purkinje cell population according to age and sex. Neuropath. appl. Neurobiol.1, 267–292 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanley, T.: Neuronal fall-out in the ageing brain: a critical review of the quantitative data. Age and Ageing3, 133–151 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • Mehraein, P., Yamada, M., Tarnowska-Dziduszko, E.: Quantitative studies on dendrites and dendritic spines in Alzheimer's disease and senile dementia. In: Advances in Neurology, vol. 12: The physiology and pathology of dendrites (ed. G. W. Kreutzberg), pp. 453–458. New York: Raven Press 1975

    Google Scholar 

  • Morimatsu, M., Hirai, S., Muramatsu, A., Yoshikawa, M.: Senile degenerative brain lesions and dementia. J. Amer. Geriat. Soc.23, 390–406 (1975)

    Google Scholar 

  • Shefer, V. F.: Absolute number of neurones and thickness of the cerebral cortex during ageing, senile and vascular dementia, and Pick's and Alzheimer's diseases. Zh. Nevropat. Psikhiat. imeni S.S. Korsakova72, 1024–1029 (1972) translated in Neurosci. Behav. Psychol.6, 319–324 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomlinson, B. E., Blessed, G., Roth, M.: Observations on the brains of demented old people. J. neurol. Sci.11, 205–242 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Woodard, J. S.: Clinicopathologic significance of granulovacuolar degeneration in Alzheimer's disease. J. Neuropath. exp. Neurol.21, 85–91 (1962)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ball, M.J. Neuronal loss, neurofibrillary tangles and granulovacuolar degeneration in the hippocampus with ageing and dementia. Acta Neuropathol 37, 111–118 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00692056

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00692056

Key words

Navigation