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NEUROLOGY 1990;40:635
© 1990 American Academy of Neurology

Astrocytes and the plaques of Alzheimer's disease

T. I. Mandybur, MD, PhD, and and C. C. Chuirazzi, BA

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH.

We demonstrated senile plaques with glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) stain in prefrontal and parietal cortex and in hippocampus of 3 cases of Alzheimer's disease. A plaque seen with GFAP appeared as a nearly round, spot-like brown blush consisting of numerous fine astrocytic processes, usually surrounded by single or, more often, several astrocytic cell bodies and their thick processes. Some plaques were virtually wrapped by these processes which also penetrated to the core, often directly touching the amyloid deposit. We never saw the plaque-type astrocytic grouping and spot-like blushes in the cortex of younger nondemented controls who were plaque negative. Our observations stress the importance of the astrocyte in plaque formation, either as primary or early secondary reactions. The focal glial reaction, without the neuritic component, possibly may precede neuritic change and relate to subminimal amyloid deposits or to some other undefined change.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. T.I. Mandybur, Neuropathology Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, 231 Bethesda Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0529.

Received June 16, 1989. Accepted for publication in final form September 5, 1989.






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