A comparative study of histological and immunohistochemical methods for neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease. 1992

P G Vallet, and R Guntern, and P R Hof, and J Golaz, and A Delacourte, and N K Robakis, and C Bouras
Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva, ChĂȘne-Bourg, Switzerland.

Several studies have demonstrated that the accurate visualization and quantification of pathological lesions in neurodegenerative disorders depend on the reliability of staining methods. In an attempt to gain a better assessment of the density and distribution of the neuropathological markers of Alzheimer's disease, we compared the staining efficiency of a modified thioflavine S protocol for neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) and senile plaques (SP) to different argentic impregnation techniques (Bielchowsky, Gallyas, Globus, Campbell-Switzer-Martin) and to immunohistochemical stainings obtained with two different antibodies against the amyloid beta protein A4 and the microtubule-associated tau protein. The modified thioflavine S technique (MTST) detects up to 60% more SP and up to 50% more NFT than the Bielschowsky and Globus methods, respectively. The results obtained with the specific antibodies are comparable to those obtained with the MTST, but these immunotechniques are more expensive and time consuming for routine neuropathological evaluation, and the appropriate antibodies are not always commercially available. Furthermore, the morphological appearance of NFT and SP with MTST is greatly improved when compared to the classical thioflavine S and the increased signal-to-noise ratio between specifically stained structures and background permits an accurate semi-automatic quantification.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007150 Immunohistochemistry Histochemical localization of immunoreactive substances using labeled antibodies as reagents. Immunocytochemistry,Immunogold Techniques,Immunogold-Silver Techniques,Immunohistocytochemistry,Immunolabeling Techniques,Immunogold Technics,Immunogold-Silver Technics,Immunolabeling Technics,Immunogold Silver Technics,Immunogold Silver Techniques,Immunogold Technic,Immunogold Technique,Immunogold-Silver Technic,Immunogold-Silver Technique,Immunolabeling Technic,Immunolabeling Technique,Technic, Immunogold,Technic, Immunogold-Silver,Technic, Immunolabeling,Technics, Immunogold,Technics, Immunogold-Silver,Technics, Immunolabeling,Technique, Immunogold,Technique, Immunogold-Silver,Technique, Immunolabeling,Techniques, Immunogold,Techniques, Immunogold-Silver,Techniques, Immunolabeling
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000368 Aged A person 65 years of age or older. For a person older than 79 years, AGED, 80 AND OVER is available. Elderly
D000369 Aged, 80 and over Persons 80 years of age and older. Oldest Old
D000544 Alzheimer Disease A degenerative disease of the BRAIN characterized by the insidious onset of DEMENTIA. Impairment of MEMORY, judgment, attention span, and problem solving skills are followed by severe APRAXIAS and a global loss of cognitive abilities. The condition primarily occurs after age 60, and is marked pathologically by severe cortical atrophy and the triad of SENILE PLAQUES; NEUROFIBRILLARY TANGLES; and NEUROPIL THREADS. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, pp1049-57) Acute Confusional Senile Dementia,Alzheimer's Diseases,Dementia, Alzheimer Type,Dementia, Senile,Presenile Alzheimer Dementia,Senile Dementia, Alzheimer Type,Alzheimer Dementia,Alzheimer Disease, Early Onset,Alzheimer Disease, Late Onset,Alzheimer Sclerosis,Alzheimer Syndrome,Alzheimer Type Senile Dementia,Alzheimer's Disease,Alzheimer's Disease, Focal Onset,Alzheimer-Type Dementia (ATD),Dementia, Presenile,Dementia, Primary Senile Degenerative,Early Onset Alzheimer Disease,Familial Alzheimer Disease (FAD),Focal Onset Alzheimer's Disease,Late Onset Alzheimer Disease,Primary Senile Degenerative Dementia,Senile Dementia, Acute Confusional,Alzheimer Dementias,Alzheimer Disease, Familial (FAD),Alzheimer Diseases,Alzheimer Type Dementia,Alzheimer Type Dementia (ATD),Alzheimers Diseases,Dementia, Alzheimer,Dementia, Alzheimer-Type (ATD),Familial Alzheimer Diseases (FAD),Presenile Dementia,Sclerosis, Alzheimer,Senile Dementia
D013194 Staining and Labeling The marking of biological material with a dye or other reagent for the purpose of identifying and quantitating components of tissues, cells or their extracts. Histological Labeling,Staining,Histological Labelings,Labeling and Staining,Labeling, Histological,Labelings, Histological,Stainings
D013844 Thiazoles Heterocyclic compounds where the ring system is composed of three CARBON atoms, a SULFUR and NITROGEN atoms. Thiazole
D016229 Amyloid beta-Peptides Peptides generated from AMYLOID BETA-PEPTIDES PRECURSOR. An amyloid fibrillar form of these peptides is the major component of amyloid plaques found in individuals with Alzheimer's disease and in aged individuals with trisomy 21 (DOWN SYNDROME). The peptide is found predominantly in the nervous system, but there have been reports of its presence in non-neural tissue. Alzheimer beta-Protein,Amyloid Protein A4,Amyloid beta-Peptide,Amyloid beta-Protein,beta Amyloid,beta-Amyloid Protein,Alzheimer's ABP,Alzheimer's Amyloid Fibril Protein,Amyloid AD-AP,Amyloid Fibril Protein, Alzheimer's,Amyloid beta-Proteins,ABP, Alzheimer's,AD-AP, Amyloid,Alzheimer ABP,Alzheimer beta Protein,Alzheimers ABP,Amyloid AD AP,Amyloid beta Peptide,Amyloid beta Peptides,Amyloid beta Protein,Amyloid beta Proteins,Amyloid, beta,Protein A4, Amyloid,Protein, beta-Amyloid,beta Amyloid Protein,beta-Peptide, Amyloid,beta-Peptides, Amyloid,beta-Protein, Alzheimer,beta-Protein, Amyloid,beta-Proteins, Amyloid
D016874 Neurofibrillary Tangles Abnormal structures located in various parts of the brain and composed of dense arrays of paired helical filaments (neurofilaments and microtubules). These double helical stacks of transverse subunits are twisted into left-handed ribbon-like filaments that likely incorporate the following proteins: (1) the intermediate filaments: medium- and high-molecular-weight neurofilaments; (2) the microtubule-associated proteins map-2 and tau; (3) actin; and (4) UBIQUITINS. As one of the hallmarks of ALZHEIMER DISEASE, the neurofibrillary tangles eventually occupy the whole of the cytoplasm in certain classes of cell in the neocortex, hippocampus, brain stem, and diencephalon. The number of these tangles, as seen in post mortem histology, correlates with the degree of dementia during life. Some studies suggest that tangle antigens leak into the systemic circulation both in the course of normal aging and in cases of Alzheimer disease. Neurofibrillary Tangle,Tangle, Neurofibrillary,Tangles, Neurofibrillary
D052160 Benzothiazoles Compounds with a benzene ring fused to a thiazole ring.

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