| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
From the Neuroinflammation Research Center (N.M.M., A.M.R., A.J.R., M.B.C., R.M.R.), Department of Neurosciences, Lerner Research Institute (N.M.M., A.M.R., M.B.C., B.D.T., R.M.R.), and Neurological Institute (D.H., R.M.R.), Cleveland Clinic; Hathaway Brown School (A.J.R.), Cleveland, OH; and Department of Neurology (F.S.E.), Massachusetts General Hospital, BostonC. is currently affiliated with Division of Neurology, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Center, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Richard M. Ransohoff, Lerner Research Institute NC-30, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195 ransohr{at}ccf.org
Objective: To characterize pathologic changes in the cerebral cortex of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).
Methods: Autopsy brain tissue was obtained from 13 patients with PML, 4 patients with MS, 2 patients with HIV encephalopathy, and 1 subject without neurologic pathology. Immunohistochemistry for myelin proteins, inflammatory cells, and neurofilaments was performed to evaluate the distribution of cortical lesions, their inflammatory activity, and neuritic pathology. Confocal microscopy was applied to examine pathologic changes in neurites in PML cortex.
Results: Leukocortical, intracortical, and subpial patterns of cortical demyelination were represented in MS brain tissue. In PML brain tissue intracortical and leukocortical but not subpial lesions were observed. Cortical lesions in PML and MS contained fewer inflammatory cells than demyelinated areas in the white matter. Neuritic pathology in cortical PML lesions was represented by dystrophic and transected neurites. Pathologic modifications in neuritic processes in PML were more evident in highly inflamed white matter than in gray matter areas of demyelination, reminiscent of previous reports of neuritic pathology in MS. JC virus-infected cells were associated with PML white matter, leukocortical and intracortical lesions.
Conclusions: Cortical pathology represents a distinct feature of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. Similarities and differences with regard to multiple sclerosis cortical pathology were noted and may be informative regarding the pathogenesis of both disorders.
GLOSSARY: AP = alkaline phosphatase; DAB = diaminobenzidine; HAART = highly active antiretroviral therapy; HIVE = HIV encephalopathy; MBP = myelin basic protein; MS = multiple sclerosis; NNTC = NeuroAIDS Tissue Consortium; PLP = proteolipid protein; PML = progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy; SPMS = secondary progressive multiple sclerosis; X-ALD = X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy.
Supplemental data at www.neurology.org
Editorial, page 332
e-Pub ahead of print on October 3, 2007, at www.neurology.org.
Supported by US NIH grant (PO1 NS38667).
Disclosure: The authors report no conflicts of interest.
Received March 7, 2007. Accepted in final form May 22, 2007.
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  D. Wheeler, V. V. R. Bandaru, P. A. Calabresi, A. Nath, and N. J. Haughey A defect of sphingolipid metabolism modifies the properties of normal appearing white matter in multiple sclerosis Brain, November 1, 2008; 131(11): 3092 - 3102. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 Cortical Demyelination in MS and Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy Journal Watch Neurology, June 3, 2008; 2008(603): 2 - 2. [Full Text]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 H. Lassmann and C. F. Lucchinetti Cortical demyelination in CNS inflammatory demyelinating diseases Neurology, January 29, 2008; 70(5): 332 - 333. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
Read all Correspondence
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
