P L Lantos

Aston University, Birmingham, ENG, United Kingdom

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Publications (179)915.26 Total impact

  • Article: Decrease in neuronal density in the cerebral cortex in multiple system atrophy
    E. Spargo, M.I. Papp, P.L. Lantos
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    ABSTRACT: The presence of argyrophilic oligodendroglial cytoplasmic inclusions (GCIs) is a pathognomonic feature of multiple system atrophy (MSA), which has established MSA as a nosological entity, and serves as a diagnostic criterion. As a neurodegenerative disease, MSA exhibits neuronal degeneration and loss from several regions of the central nervous system. Recent mapping studies of the distribution of GCIs have shown their presence in regions of the brain previously thought not to be affected in MSA, for example the cerebral cortex. This study has used stereological techniques to establish whether neuronal loss is related to the presence of GCIs in three regions of the cerebral cortex. In the prefrontal cortex, in which GCIs are sparse, there is no significant difference in either neuronal or glial cell numerical density in MSA cases compared to controls. However in two cortical regions which are both GCI rich, the anterior central gyrus and the supplementary motor cortex, there is a marked reduction in neuronal density of 18.7% and 21.4% respectively, which is statistically significant only in the supplementary motor cortex. In both of these regions there is a concomitant increase in glial cell numerical density which results in a significant change in the ratio of neurons to glial cells. These results indicate that there is a regional reduction in the neuronal density in the cortex in multiple system atrophy which is associated with the presence of GCIs.
    European Journal of Neurology 01/2011; 3(5):450 - 456. · 3.69 Impact Factor
  • Article: A quantitative study of the pathological changes in the cerebellum in 15 cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).
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    ABSTRACT: To determine in the cerebellum in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD): (i) whether the pathology affected all laminae; (ii) the spatial topography of the pathology along the folia; (iii) spatial correlations between the pathological changes; and (iv) whether the pathology was similar to that of the common methionine/methionine Type 1 subtype of sporadic CJD. Sequential cerebellar sections of 15 cases of vCJD were stained with haematoxylin and eosin, or immunolabelled with monoclonal antibody 12F10 against prion protein (PrP) and studied using spatial pattern analysis. Loss of Purkinje cells was evident compared with control cases. Densities of the vacuolation and the protease-resistant form of prion protein (PrP(Sc)) (diffuse and florid plaques) were greater in the granule cell layer (GL) than the molecular layer (ML). In the ML, vacuoles and PrP(Sc) plaques occurred in clusters regularly distributed along the folia with larger clusters of vacuoles and diffuse plaques in the GL. There was a negative spatial correlation between the vacuoles and the surviving Purkinje cells in the ML. There was a positive spatial correlation between the vacuoles and diffuse PrP(Sc) plaques in the ML and GL. (i) all laminae were affected by the pathology, the GL more severely than the ML; (ii) the pathology was topographically distributed along the folia especially in the Purkinje cell layer and ML; (iii) pathological spread may occur in relation to the loop of anatomical connections involving the cerebellum, thalamus, cerebral cortex and pons; and (iv) there were pathological differences compared with methionine/methionine Type 1 sporadic CJD.
    Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology 03/2009; 35(1):36-45. · 3.80 Impact Factor
  • Article: Familial prion disease in a Hungarian family with a novel 144-base pair insertion in the prion protein gene.
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    ABSTRACT: About 15% of human prion diseases are inherited, and are associated with point or insertional mutations of the prion protein gene (PRNP). Four families with six octapeptide repeat insertions (OPRI) in the PRNP gene have been described in the literature so far. Here we report two cases in a Hungarian family with a new six OPRI (R1R2R2R3R2R3gR3R2R2R3R4) in the PRNP gene. The clinical features (progressive ataxia, dementia and anosmia), the age of onset and the duration of disease were almost identical. In addition to the cerebellar and parahippocampal pathological changes already described, we also found deposits of pathological prion protein in the olfactory system.
    Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry 04/2007; 78(3):321-3. · 4.87 Impact Factor
  • Article: Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP): a quantitative study of the pathological changes in cortical and subcortical regions of eight cases.
    R A Armstrong, P L Lantos, N J Cairns
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    ABSTRACT: In eight cases of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) were numerous in the substantia nigra (SN), red nucleus (RN), locus caeruleus (LC), pontine nuclei (PN), and inferior olivary nucleus (ION) and abnormally enlarged neurons (EN) in the ION, LC and PN. Loss of Purkinje cells was evident in the cerebellum. Tufted astrocytes (TA) were abundant in the striatum, SN and RN and glial inclusions ('coiled bodies') (GI) in the midbrain (SN, RN) and pons (LC). Neuritic plaques were frequent in one case. NFT, GI, and TA densities were uncorrelated in most areas. NFT and EN densities were positively correlated in the midbrain and surviving neurons and disease duration in several areas. These results suggest: 1) predominantly subcortical pathology in PSP with widespread NFT while TA and GI have a more localized distribution, 2) little correlation between neuronal and glial pathologies, and 3) shorter duration cases may be more likely to develop cortical pathology.
    Acta Neurovegetativa 02/2007; 114(12):1569-77. · 2.73 Impact Factor
  • Article: Multiple system atrophy (MSA): topographic distribution of the alpha-synuclein-associated pathological changes.
    R A Armstrong, N J Cairns, P L Lantos
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    ABSTRACT: To study the topographic distribution of the pathology in multiple system atrophy (MSA). Pattern analysis was carried out using alpha-synuclein immunohistochemistry in 10 MSA cases. The glial cytoplasmic inclusions (GCI) were distributed randomly or in large clusters. The neuronal inclusions (NI) and abnormal neurons were distributed in regular clusters. Clusters of the NI and abnormal neurons were spatially correlated whereas the GCI were not spatially correlated with either the NI or the abnormal neurons. The data suggest that the GCI represent the primary change in MSA and the neuronal pathology develops secondary to the glial pathology.
    Parkinsonism & Related Disorders 10/2006; 12(6):356-62. · 3.80 Impact Factor
  • Article: Size frequency distribution of prion protein (PrP) aggregates in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).
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    ABSTRACT: The frequency distribution of aggregate size of the diffuse and florid-type prion protein (PrP) plaques was studied in various brain regions in cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). The size distributions were unimodal and positively skewed and resembled those of beta-amyloid (A beta) deposits in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Down's syndrome (DS). The frequency distributions of the PrP aggregates were log-normal in shape, but there were deviations from the expected number of plaques in specific size classes. More diffuse plaques were observed in the modal size class and fewer in the larger size classes than expected and more florid plaques were present in the larger size classes compared with the log-normal model. It was concluded that the growth of the PrP aggregates in vCJD does not strictly follow a log-normal model, diffuse plaques growing to within a more restricted size range and florid plaques to larger sizes than predicted.
    Acta Neurovegetativa 12/2005; 112(11):1565-73. · 2.73 Impact Factor
  • Article: Quantitative analysis of tau isoform transcripts in sporadic tauopathies.
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    ABSTRACT: A number of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), are characterized by intraneuronal accumulation of the tau protein. Some forms of FTDP-17 are caused by mutations in the tau gene affecting exon 10 splicing. Therefore, dysregulation of tau pre-mRNA splicing may be a contributing factor to sporadic tauopathies. To address this question, we devised a real-time RT-PCR strategy based on the use of a single fluorogenic probe to evaluate the ratio between tau isoforms containing or lacking exon 10 (4R/3R ratio) in post-mortem brain samples. We found a two- to six-fold increase in the 4R/3R ratio in cases of FTDP-17 linked to a splice site mutation, hence confirming the validity of the strategy. The difference in the 4R/3R ratio in the superior temporal and superior frontal gyri between AD and control brains was not statistically significant. Similarly, there was no significant difference in the 4R/3R ratio between Pick's disease cases and controls, indicating that the predominance of tau3R protein in PiD reflects post-translational modifications of specific isoforms. This study indicates that post-translational events are likely to be the main factors controlling tau isoform composition in sporadic tauopathies and highlights the benefit of quantitative RT-PCR in the assessment of splicing abnormalities in tauopathies.
    Molecular Brain Research 07/2005; 137(1-2):104-9. · 2.00 Impact Factor
  • Article: A quantitative study of the pathological changes in ten patients with multiple system atrophy (MSA).
    R A Armstrong, N J Cairns, P L Lantos
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    ABSTRACT: The densities of the glial cytoplasmic inclusions (GCI), neuronal inclusions (NI), and abnormal neurons were studied in the frontal cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum, basal ganglia and areas of the pons and medulla in 10 cases of multiple system atrophy (MSA). GCI density was greater in the substantia nigra and globus pallidus compared with the frontal cortex and hippocampus. Abnormal neurons were most abundant in the frontal cortex, substantia nigra, and inferior olivary nucleus. NI and abnormal neuron densities were positively correlated in the globus pallidus but negatively correlated in the hippocampus. The NI and GCI were only positively correlated in the pons. GCI in the pons and inferior olivary nucleus, NI in the substantia nigra, and abnormal neurons in the frontal cortex varied significantly between cases. The MSA cases did not cluster according to disease subtype. The data suggest that: 1) the greatest densities of pathological changes occur in the substantia nigra and globus pallidus, 2) density of the GCI is unrelated to that of the NI, and 3) there is overlapping pathology between the various subtypes of MSA.
    Acta Neurovegetativa 05/2004; 111(4):485-95. · 2.73 Impact Factor
  • Article: Spatial correlation between the vacuolation, prion protein, deposition and surviving neurons in patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).
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    ABSTRACT: The histological features of cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) are often distributed in the brain in clusters. This study investigated the spatial associations between the clusters of the vacuoles, surviving neurons, and prion protein (PrP) deposits in various brain areas in 11 cases of vCJD. Clusters of vacuoles and surviving neurons were positively correlated in the cerebral cortex but negatively correlated in dentate gyrus. Clusters of the florid and diffuse type of PrP deposit were not positively correlated with those of either the vacuoles or the surviving neurons although a negative correlation was observed between the florid plaques and surviving neurons in some cortical areas. Clusters of florid and diffuse deposits were either negatively correlated or uncorrelated. These data suggest: 10 that clusters of vacuoles in the cerebral cortex are associated with the presence of surviving neuronal cell bodies, 2) that clusters of vacuoles are not spatially related to those of the PrP deposits, and 3) different factors are involved in the pathogenesis of the florid and diffuse PrP deposits.
    Acta Neurovegetativa 12/2003; 110(11):1303-11. · 2.73 Impact Factor
  • Article: Spatial correlations between the vacuolation, prion protein deposition and surviving neurons in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD)
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    ABSTRACT: The histological features of cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) are often distributed in the brain in clusters. This study investigated the spatial associations between the clusters of the vacuoles, surviving neurons, and prion protein (PrP) deposits in various brain areas in 11 cases of vCJD. Clusters of vacuoles and surviving neurons were positively correlated in the cerebral cortex but negatively correlated in the dentate gyrus. Clusters of the florid and diffuse type of PrP deposit were not positively correlated with those of either the vacuoles or the surviving neurons although a negative correlation was observed between the florid plaques and surviving neurons in some cortical areas. Clusters of the florid and diffuse deposits were either negatively correlated or uncorrelated. These data suggest: 1) that clusters of vacuoles in the cerebral cortex are associated with the presence of surviving neuronal cell bodies, 2) that the clusters of vacuoles are not spatially related to those of the PrP deposits, and 3) different factors are involved in the pathogenesis of the florid and diffuse PrP deposits.
    Acta Neurovegetativa 10/2003; 110(11):1303-1311. · 2.73 Impact Factor
  • Article: Does the neuropathology of human patients with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease reflect haematogenous spread of the disease?
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    ABSTRACT: To test the hypothesis that the distribution of the pathology in variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) represents haematogenous spread of the disease, we studied the spatial correlation between the vacuolation, prion protein (PrP) deposits, and the blood vessel profiles in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, dentate gyrus, and cerebellum of 11 cases of the disease. In the majority of areas, there were no significant spatial correlations between either the vacuolation or the diffuse type of PrP deposit and the blood vessels. By contrast, a consistent pattern of spatial correlation was observed between the florid PrP deposits and blood vessels mainly in the cerebral cortex. The frequency of positive spatial correlations was similar in different anatomical areas of the cerebral cortex and in the upper compared with the lower laminae. Hence, with the exception of the florid deposits, the data do not demonstrate a spatial relationship between the pathological features of vCJD and blood vessels. The spatial correlation of the florid deposits and blood vessels may be attributable to factors associated with the blood vessels that promote the aggregation of PrP to form a condensed core rather than reflecting the haematogenous spread of the disease.
    Neuroscience Letters 10/2003; 348(1):37-40. · 2.11 Impact Factor
  • Article: Neuronal loss in familial frontotemporal dementia with ubiquitin-positive, tau-negative inclusions.
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    ABSTRACT: The neuronal density in the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes was determined in nine cases of familial frontotemporal dementia with ubiquitin-positive, tau-negative inclusions (FTDU). The mean age at onset was 56.9 +/- 2.2 years and the duration of disease was 6.7 +/- 0.5 years. The mean age at death was 63.6 +/- 2.2 years. There was substantial loss (34%) of brain weight (877 +/- 73 g) in the familial cases in comparison with 10 normal aged controls (1326 +/- 50 g, P < 0.001). All of the familial FTDU cases showed atrophy of the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes; neuronal loss; vacuolation in superficial laminae; reactive astrocytosis; and ubiquitin-positive, tau-negative intracytoplasmic and intranuclear inclusions and dystrophic neurites in varying sites and numbers. Neuronal loss was estimated in nine cases of familial FTDU and in 10 aged controls using a stereological probe, the optical "disector," and a computerized stereology system (CAST-Grid, Olympus, Denmark). There was a significant reduction in neuronal density in the frontal lobe (22.3 +/- 3.8 x 10(3)/mm(3)) of familial FTDU in comparison to aged controls (33.1 +/- 1.7 x 10(3) per mm(3), P < 0.05). An estimate of the relative numbers of neurons was calculated by multiplying the numerical density by the cortical thickness, which showed a striking loss of neurons of 56% in the frontal lobe, 52% loss in the temporal lobe, and a 49% loss in the parietal lobe of familial FTDU when compared to controls. This study shows that familial FTDU has profound focal neuronal loss in multiple association areas that relate to the clinical symptoms characteristic of the disease.
    Experimental Neurology 06/2003; 181(2):319-26. · 4.70 Impact Factor
  • Article: The spatial patterns of prion protein deposits in cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
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    ABSTRACT: The spatial patterns of the prion protein (PrP) deposits were studied in immunostained sections of areas of the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, dentate gyrus, and the molecular layer of the cerebellum in 11 cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). Clustering of PrP deposits, with a regular distribution of the clusters parallel to the tissue boundary, was the most common spatial pattern observed. Two morphological types of PrP deposit were recognised, those consisting of a condensed core (florid deposits) and those deposits lacking a condensed core (non-florid deposits). The florid and non-florid PrP deposits exhibited a different profile of spatial patterns. First, the florid deposits exhibited a regularly distributed pattern of clusters more frequently than the non-florid deposits. Second, the florid deposits formed larger clusters (greater than 1,600 micro m in diameter) less frequently than the non-florid deposits. In the areas of the cerebral cortex that exhibited a regular distribution of PrP deposit clusters, the cluster size of the deposits approximated that of the groups of cells of the cortico-cortical pathway origin in only 12% of analyses. No significant differences in the frequency of the different types of spatial pattern were observed in different brain regions, or in the cerebral cortex between the upper and lower laminae. It was concluded that the spatial patterns of the PrP deposits in the cerebral cortex in vCJD are unlikely to reflect the degeneration of the cortico-cortical pathways as has been reported in sporadic CJD (sCJD). In addition, different factors could be involved in the development of the deposits with and without a condensed core.
    Acta Neuropathologica 01/2003; 104(6):665-9. · 9.32 Impact Factor
  • Article: Florid prion protein (PrP) plaques in patients with variant Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease (vCJD) are spatially related to blood vessels
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    ABSTRACT: This study tested the hypothesis that variations in the density of the florid prion protein (PrP) plaques in the brain of patients with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) were spatially related to blood vessels. In 81% of areas of the cerebral cortex sampled and in 37% of the remaining areas, which included the hippocampus, dentate gyrus, and cerebellum, there was a positive spatial correlation between the density of the florid plaques and the larger blood vessel profiles. The frequency of the positive spatial correlations was similar in different anatomical areas of the cerebral cortex and in the upper compared with the lower cortical laminae. The data support the hypothesis that the florid plaques cluster around the larger blood vessels in vCJD, the density of associated plaques increasing with vessel size. The development of florid plaques close to blood vessels may be due to factors associated with the blood vessels that enhance the aggregation of PrP to form the dense cores of florid plaques and is unlikely to reflect the haematogenous spread of PrP into the brain.
    Neuroscience Research Communications 12/2002; 32(1):29 - 36.
  • Article: Office of Rare Diseases neuropathologic criteria for corticobasal degeneration.
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    ABSTRACT: A working group supported by the Office of Rare Diseases of the National Institutes of Health formulated neuropathologic criteria for corticobasal degeneration (CBD) that were subsequently validated by an independent group of neuropathologists. The criteria do not require a specific clinical phenotype, since CBD can have diverse clinical presentations, such as progressive asymmetrical rigidity and apraxia, progressive aphasia, or frontal lobe dementia. Cortical atrophy, ballooned neurons, and degeneration of the substantia nigra have been emphasized in previous descriptions and are present in CBD, but the present criteria emphasize tau-immunoreactive lesions in neurons, glia, and cell processes in the neuropathologic diagnosis of CBD. The minimal pathologic features for CBD are cortical and striatal tau-positive neuronal and glial lesions, especially astrocytic plaques and thread-like lesions in both white matter and gray matter, along with neuronal loss in focal cortical regions and in the substantia nigra. The methods required to make this diagnosis include histologic stains to assess neuronal loss, spongiosis and ballooned neurons, and a method to detect tau-positive neuronal and glial lesions. Use of either the Gallyas silver staining method or immunostains with sensitive tau antibodies is acceptable. In cases where ballooned neurons are sparse or difficult to detect, immunostaining for phospho-neurofilament or alpha-B-crystallin may prove helpful. Methods to assess Alzheimer-type pathology and Lewy body pathology are necessary to rule out other causes of dementia and Parkinsonism. Using these criteria provides good differentiation of CBD from other tauopathies, except frontotemporal dementia and Parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17, where additional clinical or molecular genetic information is required to make an accurate diagnosis.
    Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology 12/2002; 61(11):935-46. · 4.26 Impact Factor
  • Article: Analysis of tau haplotypes in Pick's disease.
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    ABSTRACT: Pick's disease (PiD) is characterized by the deposition of tau protein as three-repeat tau Pick bodies, whereas progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) involves the deposition of four-repeat tau neurofibrillary tangles. PSP is associated with the tau H1 haplotype. The authors investigated a possible association between PiD and the tau H1 or H2 haplotype. There was no difference between the tau H2 haplotype or H2H2 genotype frequency in PiD cases and control subjects. No tau mutations were identified in pathologically typical cases of PiD, with antibody 12-E8-negative Pick bodies.
    Neurology 09/2002; 59(3):443-5. · 8.31 Impact Factor
  • Article: Quantification of vacuolation ("spongiform change"), surviving neurones and prion protein deposition in eleven cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
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    ABSTRACT: Vacuolation ("spongiform change") and prion protein (PrP) deposition were quantified in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, dentate gyrus and molecular layer of the cerebellum in 11 cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). The density of vacuoles was greater in the cerebral cortex compared to the hippocampus, dentate gyrus and cerebellum. Within the cortex, vacuole density was significantly greater in the occipital compared to the temporal lobe and the density of surviving neurones was greatest in the occipital lobe. The density of the non-florid PrP plaques was greater in the cerebellum compared to the other brain areas. There were significantly more florid-type PrP plaques in the cerebral cortex compared to the hippocampus and the molecular layer of the cerebellum. No significant correlations were observed between the densities of the vacuoles and the PrP plaques. The densities of vacuoles in the parietal cortex and the non-florid plaques in the frontal cortex were positively correlated with the density of surviving neurones. The densities of the florid and the non-florid plaques were positively correlated in the parietal cortex, occipital cortex, inferior temporal gyrus and dentate gyrus. The data suggest: (i) vacuolation throughout the cerebral cortex, especially in the occipital lobe, but less evident in the hippocampus and molecular layer of the cerebellum; (ii) the non-florid plaques are more common than the florid plaques and predominate in the molecular layer of the cerebellum; and (iii) either the florid plaques develop from the non-florid plaques or both types are morphological variants resulting from the same degenerative process.
    Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology 05/2002; 28(2):129-35. · 3.80 Impact Factor
  • Article: Neuropathologic variation in frontotemporal dementia due to the intronic tau 10(+16) mutation.
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    ABSTRACT: An increasing number of recently described tau mutations show considerable clinical heterogeneity. The assessment of this phenotypic variation is of vital importance in the differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases. To assess the neuropathologic heterogeneity in a comprehensive study of 12 brains with a tau mutation at exon 10(+16) (C-to-T) splice site from 9 families. A comprehensive neuropathologic examination has been carried out, using a wide range of tau antibodies. All brains showed frontotemporal atrophy of varying severity and pallor of the pigmented nuclei of the brainstem. The histologic changes were more extensive to include other cortical areas, the deep gray matter, and the white matter. The hallmark histologic lesions were the tau-positive neuronal and glial inclusions. In neurons, these ranged from typical neurofibrillary tangles through well-circumscribed inclusions to diffuse cytoplasmic staining. This tau pathology was complemented by the presence of large, abnormal achromatic neurons, neuronal loss, astrocytosis, and superficial status spongiosus. The distribution, type, and severity of these histologic abnormalities varied not only from case to case but also within the same brain. These brains with a common tau mutation raise important differential diagnostic problems: cases in the past might have been misdiagnosed as corticobasal degeneration or even atypical Pick disease, disorders with similar, if not identical, phenotypic manifestations.
    Neurology 05/2002; 58(8):1169-75. · 8.31 Impact Factor
  • Article: A quantitative analysis of cellular prion protein (PrPc) expression in Alzheimer's disease (AD), diffuse Lewy body disease (DLBD) and in normal brain
    C. Pontikis, L. Hudson, P. L. Lantos, P. Rezaie
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    ABSTRACT: Introduction: Cellular prion protein (PrPc) is a normal glycosyl phosphatidylinositol-anchored protein expressed on a wide variety of cell types. Within the CNS, low levels of PrPc are particularly associated with neurons in normal healthy individuals. In contrast, a more pronounced expression of this protein may occur in certain neurodegenerative disorders (Esiri et al. Neuropath Appl Neurobiol 2000; 26: 273; Voigtlander et al. Acta Neuropathol 2001; 101: 417). Overexpression of PrPc has itself been reported to demonstrate neuropathology in transgenic mice (Westaway et al. Cell 1994; 76: 117). The present study investigated whether prion protein is up-regulated in two well-characterized neurodegenerative disorders: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and diffuse Lewy body disease (DLBD).Material and methods: Frozen material (frontal and occipital cortex) from cases with AD (n = 10), DLBD (n = 10) and neuropathologically normal brain (n = 10) were obtained from the MRC Brain Bank (Institute of Psychiatry, London), serially sectioned at 15–20 µm and immunoreacted in entire batches with four antisera to detect PrPc (3f4, sp40, 12f10 and F89/160.1.5) using the DAKO ABC method and DAB as chromogen. Sections from a case with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease served as positive controls. Negative controls included preincubating test sections with proteinase K/guanidinium thiocyanate/formic acid, omitting primary antibody or incubation with nonspecific IgG. Immunoreactivity within selected brain regions was analysed using OPTIMAS image analysis software (OPTIMAS Corp., USA) on duplicate sections, and data processed as percentage immunoreactivity per defined field, based on a constant threshold (von Eitzen et al. JNEN 1998; 57: 246). The distribution of PrPc was further tested for correlation with glial reactivity (GFAP, PGM-1).Results: PrPc expression was mainly localized to the grey matter and was higher in occipital than frontal cortex. PrPc did not colocalize with glial reactivity. Instead, expression within the grey matter appeared to associate with neurons. Expression did not vary significantly between DLBD and controls. However, regional variations in PrPc expression were noted in AD. Epitope specificity of antibodies was also important in detecting PrPc, and may relate to selective regional glycosylation patterns of this protein.Conclusion: This study indicates that changes in expression of PrPc occur in certain neurodegenerative disorders such as AD. Whether this is secondary to the disease or contributes towards pathology remains to be investigated.
    Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology 03/2002; 28(2):166 - 167. · 3.80 Impact Factor
  • Article: Quantification of the vacuolation (spongiform change) and prion protein deposition in 11 patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
    R A Armstrong, N J Cairns, P L Lantos
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    ABSTRACT: The vacuolation (spongiform change) and prion protein (PrP) deposition were quantified in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum of 11 patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). The density of the vacuolation, averaged over patients, was greatest in the occipital cortex and cerebellum and least in the dentate gyrus. The degree of PrP deposition was similar in the different cortical areas and in the cerebellum but significantly lower in the hippocampus and absent in the dentate gyrus. There were no significant differences in the extent of the vacuolation and PrP deposition in the upper and lower cortical laminae. Vacuolation and PrP deposition in the upper cortex were both positively correlated with corresponding levels in the lower cortex. In addition, in the parietal cortex and parahippocampal gyrus, the density of the vacuolation was positively correlated with the level of PrP deposition but no such correlations were observed in the remaining areas studied. This quantitative study suggested that: (1) the pathological changes were most severe in the occipital cortex and cerebellum, while the hippocampus was least affected, (2) the pathological changes affect the upper and lower cortical laminae, and (3) the degree of correlation between the density of the vacuolation and PrP deposition may be dependent on brain region.
    Acta Neuropathologica 01/2002; 102(6):591-6. · 9.32 Impact Factor

Institutions

  • 1996–2009
    • Aston University
      Birmingham, ENG, United Kingdom
    • St Mary's Hospital NHS
      Newport, ENG, United Kingdom
  • 1990–2007
    • Semmelweis University
      • Department of Neurology
      Budapest, Budapest fovaros, Hungary
  • 2003
    • Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
      Philadelphia, PA, USA
  • 2001–2003
    • King's College London
      • Institute of Psychiatry
      London, ENG, United Kingdom
    • King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
      • Institute of Psychiatry
      London, ENG, United Kingdom
  • 2002
    • University College London
      London, ENG, United Kingdom
  • 1999–2001
    • Imperial College London
      London, ENG, United Kingdom
  • 1996–2001
    • The University of Manchester
      • School of Psychological Sciences
      Manchester, ENG, United Kingdom
  • 2000
    • University of London
      London, ENG, United Kingdom
  • 1998
    • Music Group Research Uk
      Worcester, ENG, United Kingdom
  • 1997–1998
    • University of Exeter
      Exeter, ENG, United Kingdom