Skip to main content
Journal cover image

Neuronal hypertrophy in asymptomatic Alzheimer disease.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Iacono, D; O'Brien, R; Resnick, SM; Zonderman, AB; Pletnikova, O; Rudow, G; An, Y; West, MJ; Crain, B; Troncoso, JC
Published in: J Neuropathol Exp Neurol
June 2008

The pathologic changes of Alzheimer disease (AD) evolve very gradually over decades before the disease becomes clinically manifest. Thus, it is not uncommon to find substantial numbers of Abeta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in autopsy brains of older subjects with documented normal cognition, a state that we define as asymptomatic AD (ASYMAD). The goal of this study is to understand the morphometric substrate of ASYMAD subjects compared with mild cognitive impairment and definite AD cases. We used designed-based stereology to measure the volumes of neuronal cell bodies, nuclei, and nucleoli in 4 cerebral regions: anterior cingulate gyrus, posterior cingulate gyrus, primary visual cortex, and CA1 of hippocampus. We examined and compared autopsy brains from 4 groups (n = 15 each) of participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging: ASYMAD, mild cognitive impairment, AD, and age-matched controls. We found significant hypertrophy of the neuronal cell bodies, nuclei, and nucleoli of CA1 of hippocampus and anterior cingulate gyrus neurons in ASYMAD subjects compared with control and mild cognitive impairment cases. In the posterior cingulate gyrus and primary visual cortex, the hypertrophy was limited to the nuclei and nucleoli. The hypertrophy of cortical neurons and their nuclei and nucleoli in ASYMAD may represent an early reaction to the presence of neurotoxic Abeta or tau, or a compensatory mechanism that prevents the progression of the disease into dementia.

Duke Scholars

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

J Neuropathol Exp Neurol

DOI

ISSN

0022-3069

Publication Date

June 2008

Volume

67

Issue

6

Start / End Page

578 / 589

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Neurons
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Hypertrophy
  • Humans
  • Cognition Disorders
  • Brain
  • Alzheimer Disease
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Aged
  • 3209 Neurosciences
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Iacono, D., O’Brien, R., Resnick, S. M., Zonderman, A. B., Pletnikova, O., Rudow, G., … Troncoso, J. C. (2008). Neuronal hypertrophy in asymptomatic Alzheimer disease. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol, 67(6), 578–589. https://doi.org/10.1097/NEN.0b013e3181772794
Iacono, Diego, Richard O’Brien, Susan M. Resnick, Alan B. Zonderman, Olga Pletnikova, Gay Rudow, Yang An, Mark J. West, Barbara Crain, and Juan C. Troncoso. “Neuronal hypertrophy in asymptomatic Alzheimer disease.J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 67, no. 6 (June 2008): 578–89. https://doi.org/10.1097/NEN.0b013e3181772794.
Iacono D, O’Brien R, Resnick SM, Zonderman AB, Pletnikova O, Rudow G, et al. Neuronal hypertrophy in asymptomatic Alzheimer disease. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 2008 Jun;67(6):578–89.
Iacono, Diego, et al. “Neuronal hypertrophy in asymptomatic Alzheimer disease.J Neuropathol Exp Neurol, vol. 67, no. 6, June 2008, pp. 578–89. Pubmed, doi:10.1097/NEN.0b013e3181772794.
Iacono D, O’Brien R, Resnick SM, Zonderman AB, Pletnikova O, Rudow G, An Y, West MJ, Crain B, Troncoso JC. Neuronal hypertrophy in asymptomatic Alzheimer disease. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 2008 Jun;67(6):578–589.
Journal cover image

Published In

J Neuropathol Exp Neurol

DOI

ISSN

0022-3069

Publication Date

June 2008

Volume

67

Issue

6

Start / End Page

578 / 589

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Neurons
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Hypertrophy
  • Humans
  • Cognition Disorders
  • Brain
  • Alzheimer Disease
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Aged
  • 3209 Neurosciences