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Differential distribution of neurofibrillary tangles in the cerebral cortex of dementia pugilistica and Alzheimer's disease cases

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Summary

Head trauma has been associated with the occurrence of Alzhiemer's disease and plays a clear role in the etiopathogenesis of the boxers encephalopathy referred to as dementia pugilistica. Neurofibrillary tangles (NFT), one of the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease are observed in very high densities in the brains of former professional boxers suffering from dementia pugilistica. In Alzheimer's disease, NFT display striking regional and laminar distribution patterns that have been correlated with the localization of neurons forming specific corticocortical connections. In dementia pugilistica cases, NFT were concentrated in the superficial layers in the neocortex, whereas in Alzheimer's disease they predominated in the deep layers. Thus, the association cortex of brains from dementia pugilistica patients demonstrated an inverse NFT distribution as compared to Alzheimer's disease. This finding suggests that a more circumscribed population of cortical pyramidal neurons might be affected in dementia pugilistica than in Alzheimer's disease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fishberg Research Center for Neurobiology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 10029, New York, NY, USA

    P. R. Hof, C. Bouras, D. P. Perl & J. H. Morrison

  2. Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 10029, New York, NY, USA

    P. R. Hof, L. Buée, A. Delacourte & J. H. Morrison

  3. Department of Pathology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 10029, New York, NY, USA

    D. P. Perl

  4. Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 10029, New York, NY, USA

    D. P. Perl

  5. Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva School of Medicine, IUPG Bel-Air, CH-1225, Chêne-Bourg, Geneva, Switzerland

    C. Bouras

  6. INSERM U156, Place de Verdun, F-59045, Lille, France

    L. Buée & A. Delacourte

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  1. P. R. Hof
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  2. C. Bouras
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  3. L. Buée
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Supported by the Brookdale Foundation, the American Health Assistance Foundation, and NIH grants AG06647 and AG05138

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Hof, P.R., Bouras, C., Buée, L. et al. Differential distribution of neurofibrillary tangles in the cerebral cortex of dementia pugilistica and Alzheimer's disease cases. Acta Neuropathol 85, 23–30 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00304630

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00304630

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