Back to Search
Start Over
Degeneration of betz cells in motor neuron disease. A Golgi study
- Source :
- Acta Neuropathologica. 70:289-295
- Publication Year :
- 1986
- Publisher :
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 1986.
-
Abstract
- A morphological study using a modified Golgi impregnation technique was carried out on Betz cells in the motor area of eight patients with motor neuron disease (MND) and age-matched controls without abnormal neuropathological findings during routine examination. Betz cells were categorized as normal (type I), or those with moderate (type II) or marked (type III) degeneration of dendrites. Types II and III Betz cells tended to be dominant in the cases of MND, whereas type I Betz cells constituted the highest percentage in most of the control cases. The frequently observed morphological alterations of Betz cells in MND were accumulation of lipofuscin, degeneration or loss of dendrites, and reactive astrocytic gliosis around the Betz cell soma. It was suggested that Betz cell changes in MND are not only due to aging but also to evident pathological processes, since the above-mentioned findings were more extensive in the MND cases than in the control cases. Also, the so-called lower motor neuron disease belongs to one basic disease termed "motor neuron disease", because the pathological changes of Betz cells were observed even in cases of spinal progressive muscular atrophy alone or associated with progressive bulbar palsy, which are devoid of pyramidal tract degeneration and signs of upper motor neuron lesion.
- Subjects :
- Male
Cell Count
Dendrite
Upper motor neuron lesion
Pathology and Forensic Medicine
Lipofuscin
Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
medicine
Humans
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Motor Neurons
Pyramidal tracts
Staining and Labeling
business.industry
Motor Cortex
Dendrites
Neuromuscular Diseases
Progressive bulbar palsy
Anatomy
Middle Aged
Betz cell
Motor neuron
Progressive muscular atrophy
medicine.disease
body regions
medicine.anatomical_structure
Nerve Degeneration
Female
Neurology (clinical)
medicine.symptom
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 14320533 and 00016322
- Volume :
- 70
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Acta Neuropathologica
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....07d1554189206f8a9c91712c7cde44de