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PMID: 7709729 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Cell death in Alzheimer's disease evaluated by DNA fragmentation in situ.

Acta neuropathologica ·Vol. 89 ·No. 1 ·1995-00-00 ·Pages 35-41

Lassmann H, Bancher C, Breitschopf H, Wegiel J, Bobinski M, Jellinger K, Wisniewski HM

Abstract

Loss of nerve cells is a hallmark of the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet the patterns of cell death are unknown. By analyzing DNA fragmentation in situ we found evidence for cell death not only of nerve cells but also of oligodendrocytes and microglia in AD brains. In average, 30 times more brain cells showed DNA fragmentation in AD as compared to age-matched controls. Nuclear alterations suggestive of apoptosis were rare in degenerating cells. Even though the majority of degenerating cells were not located within amyloid deposits and did not contain neurofibrillary tangles, neurons situated within areas of amyloid deposits or affected by neurofibrillary degeneration revealed a higher risk of DNA fragmentation and death than cells not exposed to these AD changes.

MeSH Terms
Aged Alzheimer Disease/diagnosis,pathology Amyloid beta-Peptides/analysis Cell Death DNA Probes Entorhinal Cortex/pathology Humans Nerve Degeneration/immunology Neurofibrillary Tangles/pathology
Chemicals
Amyloid beta-Peptides DNA Probes
Authors & Affiliations
7 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Lassmann H
Research Unit for Experimental Neuropathology, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Wien.
Bancher C
Breitschopf H
Wegiel J
Bobinski M
Jellinger K
Wisniewski H M
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Article Info
Journal
Acta neuropathologica
Abbr.
Acta Neuropathol
ISSN
0001-6322
DOI
10.1007/BF00294257
Published
1995-00-00
Pages
35-41
Language
English
Region
Germany
NLM ID
0412041
Subset
IM
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1007/BF00294257 View journal details
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