Histopathology 16 - Neurodegeneration Flashcards
Recall 4 histopatological features of a brain with Alzheimer’s dementia
Extracellular plaques
Neurofibrillary tangles
Cerebral amyloid angiopathy
Neuronal loss (cerebral atrophy)
What does Tau staining show in Alzheimer’s disease?
Hyperphosphorylation
How is Alzheimer’s disease diagnosed at post-mortem?
Tau staining
What grading is used to stage Alzheimer’s disease at post-mortem?
Braak grading
Pathological changes begin in hippocampus and spread to occipital cortex - degree of spread guides staging
What is the basic pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease?
Loss of dopaminergic cells in the substantia nigra, which project onto the striatum to control movement
What is the role of Lewy bodies in Parkinson’s disease?
Cause a mutation in alpha synuclein
What disease are “ballroom neurons” associated with?
Frontotemporal dementia/ Pick’s disease
Which neurodegenerative disease shows 4R 3R tauopathy?
Alzheimer’s dementia
Which neurodegenerative disease shows 4R tauopathy?
Progressive supranuclear palsy
Which neurodegenerative disease shows 3R tauopathy?
Pick’s disease
Which neurodegenerative disease can be caused by a progranulin Z mutation?
Frontotemporal dementia (in this case there would be no tau pathology)