Arne Brun

• professor of neuropathology
• Professor at Lund University

The aim was to study the level of S-100 in blood samples taken from Fischer-344 rats after exposure to 915MHz CW-microwaves and ELF magnetic fields in TEM-cells. Magnetic field exposure took place with the TEM cell in a Helmholtz coil arrangement of either 50 Hz sinusoidal magnetic field of 5µT, or incoherent magnetic field noise IMF at a maximum a...

The present study aims to find out if the level of S-100 in blood samples taken from Fischer-344 rats exposed in TEM-cells to microwaves at the 900 MHz band at various modulation frequencies 4, 8.33, 16, 50 Hz and 217 Hz with various peak power output, correlate with albumin leakage through the Blood-Brain Barrier, The results of the present study...

Recent discoveries widen the basis for future research in Alzheimer´s disease. Arne Brun. MD. PhD. Professor emeritus Lund University, Dept. of Pathology, 22185 Lund. Sweden. Abstract. Intended as food for thought this revue offers a general orientation on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) with comments on the brain changes and clinical features. But more...

ABSTRACT In 1996 there was no convincing laboratory evidence that EMFs used in wireless communication could cause tumour promotion at non-thermal exposure levels. Therefore we then performed a study of the effects from exposure to such electromagnetic fields in the rat brain glioma model we were using in our research for brain tumour therapy. By st...

Background: Neuron Glial 2 (NG2) cells are glial cells known to serve as oligodendrocyte progenitors as well as modulators of the neuronal network. Altered NG2 cell morphology and up-regulation as well as increased shedding of the proteoglycan NG2 expressed on the cell surface have been described in rodent models of brain injury. Here we describe a...

Background Neuron Glial 2 (NG2) cells are glial cells known to serve as oligodendrocyte progenitors as well as modulators of the neuronal network. Altered NG2 cell morphology and up-regulation as well as increased shedding of the proteoglycan NG2 expressed on the cell surface have been described in rodent models of brain injury. Here we describe al...

Abstract. In previous work we have studied the effects of electromagnetic fields upon the promotion of growth of tumours from two different rat glioma cell lines, RG2 and N32, inoculated in the brains of Fischer 344 rats. No promotions of tumour growth due to the EMF could be demonstrated in large series of animals as compared to their matched cont...

Abstract. Effect of 915 MHz electromagnetic fields (EMF) on the blood brain-barrier (BBB) permeability has been studied in Fischer 344 rats of both sexes. Male and female Fischer 344 rats were exposed in a Transverse Electromagnetic Transmission line chamber to microwaves of 915 MHz as continuous wave (CW) and pulse-modulated with different pulse p...

Nosological classification of organic dementia is based on current knowledge and theories of aetiology, including genetics, clinical picture, the pathological substrate, and the predominant location of brain damage. This chapter is concerned with dementia syndromes caused by a degenerative disease primarily affecting the frontal and temporal lobes,...

An historical overview of the development of the concept of frontotemporal dementia is presented, regarding the last 30 years, using as a backbone the conferences held on this theme, with a start in 1986 in Lund, Sweden. Since then, a dramatic increase in research activities and publications has rapidly expanded our knowledge in this field, a step...

Since the late 1980s, our group has examined the effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF), including pulse-modulated waves of the type emitted by mobile phones, upon the blood–brain barrier. In more than 2,000 rats, we have repeatedly demonstrated a passage of the rats’ own albumin from the blood through the brain capillaries into...

Previous publications have shown a high diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of three short clinical rating scales for Alzheimer's disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and vascular dementia (VaD) validated against neuropathological (NP) diagnoses. In this study, the aim was to perform an exploratory factor analysis of the items in these c...

The overall aim was to evaluate to what extent the diagnosis of dementia subtypes, obtained by three clinical rating scales, concurred with postmortem neuropathologic (NP) diagnosis of Alzheimer disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), vascular dementia (VaD) and mixed AD/VaD. A prospective longitudinal clinical work-up with postmortem NP exami...

AhstJ-act Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis is a rare condition. Presented here is a case report of a patient who was admitted with acute abdomen and was operated upon. The gross morphology and histological features of the specimen were consistent with Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis.

Generalized lipodystrophy (Berardinelli-Seip's syndrome) was diagnosed in a boy at the age of 81/2 months. Ten months later he died because of aspiration of food. Necropsy with special reference to the CNS revealed hypothalamic lesions, probably of a malformative or hamartomatous nature. The findings lend additional support to the view that hypotha...

The testes were studied microscopically in 15 severely mentally retarded men with cerebral malformations. They ranged from 19 to 71 years in age. The testicular picture was normal in 8. In 3 there were moderate or severe testicular changes of the type usually classified as being of extrahypophyseal origin. In 1 there were hardly any demonstrable Le...

The aim of this study was to investigate early changes in uptake of 2-deoxy-2-[(18)F]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) in vivo and in vitro in a squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) cell line originating from a human head and neck SCC during cytotoxic therapy with respect to metabolism in tumor cells and in surrounding stromal tissue. In 60 nude mice with xenografte...

Microwaves were for the first time produced by humans in 1886 when radio waves were broadcasted and received. Until then microwaves had only existed as a part of the cosmic background radiation since the birth of universe. By the following utilization of microwaves in telegraph communication, radars, television and above all, in the modern mobile p...

In order to mimic the real life situation, with often life-long exposure to the electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile phones, we have investigated in a rat model the effects of repeated exposures under a long period to Global System for Mobile Communication-900 MHz (GSM-900) radiation. Out of a total of 56 rats, 32 were exposed once weekly in a...

Considering the frequent use of mobile phones, we have directed attention to possible implications on cognitive functions. In this study we investigated in a rat model the long-term effects of protracted exposure to Global System for Mobile Communication-900 MHz (GSM-900) radiation. Out of a total of 56 rats, 32 were exposed for 2 h each week for 5...

Life on earth was formed during billions of years, exposed to, and shaped by the original physical forces such as gravitation, cosmic irradiation, atmospheric electric fields and the terrestrial magnetism. The Schumann resonances at 7.4 Hz are an example of oscillations possibly important for life.¹⁾ The existing organisms are created to function i...

We investigated the effects of global system for mobile communication (GSM) microwave exposure on the permeability of the blood-brain barrier and signs of neuronal damage in rats using a real GSM programmable mobile phone in the 900 MHz band. Ninety-six non-anaesthetized rats were either exposed to microwaves or sham exposed in TEM-cells for 2 h at...

During the last century, mankind has introduced electricity and during the very last decades, the microwaves of the modern communication society have spread a totally new entity--the radiofrequency fields--around the world. How does this affect biology on Earth? The mammalian brain is protected by the blood-brain barrier, which prevents harmful sub...

Six infants with infantile spasms are presented, three primarily considered idiopathic and three symptomatic. Autopsy unexpectedly revealed heterotopias, cortical dyslamination, and other brain malformations in all six cases. No history of any etiologic moment during the neuronal migratory period of early gestation was found. It is concluded that w...

This is a historical account of the development of the concept frontotemporal dementia, beginning with our discovery in the late 60s of a simple degenerative form. It was named frontal lobe degeneration of non-Alzheimer type to clearly separate it from the then almost totally dominating diagnosis Alzheimer disease. In the absence of immunohistochem...

Thirty patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) were treated by boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) at the Studsvik facility in Sweden, in a clinical trial exploring a procedure in which 900 mg p-boronophenylalanine (BPA) per kilo body weight was infused in 6 h. The present study was designed to assess tumor efficacy and radiation damage to the...

The environment in which biology exists has dramatically changed during the last decades. Life was formed during billions of years, exposed to, and shaped by the original physical forces such as gravitation, cosmic irradiation and the terrestrial magnetism. The existing organisms are created to function in harmony with these forces. However, in the...

Historically the clinical importance of localized cortical atrophy within the frontal and the temporal lobes was first described by Arnold Pick, who pointed out the relationship between these lesions and aphasia and behavioral changes, “thereby bringing neuropathology and psychiatry into closer union … so that the latter may be brought nearer to un...

To study cardio-cerebrovascular disease and clinical features, such as falls, dizziness/unsteadiness, urinary incontinence, hallucinations/delusions and delirium in neuropathologically defined subgroups of vascular Dementia (VaD): pure Small Vessel Dementia (SVD), combined SVD and Alzheimer's disease (SVD-AD), pure Large Vessel Dementia (LVD) and p...

We have previously reported a large Danish pedigree with autosomal dominant frontotemporal dementia (FTD) linked to chromosome 3 (FTD3). Here we identify a mutation in CHMP2B, encoding a component of the endosomal ESCRTIII complex, and show that it results in aberrant mRNA splicing in tissue samples from affected members of this family. We also des...

We have previously reported a large Danish pedigree with autosomal dominant frontotemporal dementia (FTD) linked to chromosome 3 (FTD3). Here we identify a mutation in CHMP2B, encoding a component of the endosomal ESCRTIII complex, and show that it results in aberrant mRNA splicing in tissue samples from affected members of this family. We also des...

All vascular dementia (VaD) cases, neuropathologically verified in a longitudinal prospective dementia project, were classified according to the vascular brain lesion type and related to the dementia type and cardiovascular pathology. From 1976 to 1995, there were 175 VaD cases, 49 of which were pure, without Alzheimer pathology and only one type o...

Our group has since 1988 studied the effects of different intensities and modulations of 915MHz RF in a rat model where the exposure takes place in a TEM-cell during various time periods and post exposure recovery times. The power fed into TEM-cells was 0.125, 1.25, 12.5 or 125mW corresponding to whole body SAR (determined experimentally): 0.2, 2,...

The European Journal of Human Genetics is the official Journal of the European Society of Human Genetics, publishing high-quality, original research papers, short reports, News and Commentary articles and reviews in the rapidly expanding field of human genetics and genomics.

A large pedigree with autosomal dominant frontotemporal dementia has been identified. Positional cloning has linked the disease gene to the pericentromeric region of chromosome 3. Clinical, neuropsychological, imaging, pathological and molecular genetic data are presented. The genetic mutation responsible for the disease has not been identified.

Preface: Brun, A. Gustafson, L. Natural History of Frontotemporal Dementia: Comparison with Alzheimer's Disease: Pasquler, F. Richard, F. Lebert, F. The Tau Gene Locus and Frontotemporal Dementia: Pickering-Brown, S. Phenotypic Variation in Frontotemporal Dementia and Parkinsonism Linked to Chromosome 17: van Swieten, J.C. et al. Epidemiology of Fr...

The possible risks of radio-frequency electromagnetic fields for the human body is a growing concern for our society. We have previously shown that weak pulsed microwaves give rise to a significant leakage of albumin through the blood-brain barrier. In this study we investigated whether a pathologic leakage across the blood-brain barrier might be c...

This study was undertaken in order to compare regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and EEG findings of patients with clinically diagnosed dementia with Lewy bodies (clinDLB) and Alzheimer's disease (clinAD). Furthermore, within the clinDLB group to compare cases with and without neuropathologically verified Lewy bodies (LBs). When we studied 200 dem...

A boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) facility has been constructed at Studsvik, Sweden. It includes two filter/moderator configurations. One of the resulting neutron beams has been optimized for clinical irradiations with a filter/moderator system that allows easy variation of the neutron spectrum from the thermal to the epithermal energy range....

In cerebrovascular disease of all kinds, the white matter bears a heavy burden--particularly in the early and late periods of life. The infarcts are of the complete and incomplete type, the latter accompanying and extending the white-matter damage of the former. Complete infarcts are mainly caused by vascular occlusions. Incomplete infarcts are mai...

The authors have identified and studied a large kindred in which frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. The trait has been mapped to the pericentromeric region of chromosome 3. The authors report on the clinical, neuroimaging, neuropsychological, and pathologic features in this unique pedigree collected during 17...

The various structural components of the cortical degeneration of Alzheimer's disease were defined and graded. The severity of the degenerative process was thus mapped in different cortical areas where neuronal numbers and cortical width were also measured and compared with controls. Contrary to the general opinion that the degenerative process is...

The clinical picture with its pathological correlate was analysed in 16 patients fulfilling consensus criteria for dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). The cases were part of a larger cohort (n = 200) of patients within a prospective longitudinal study of dementing disorders. Six cases exhibited not only Lewy bodies (LBs) but also other brain pathologi...

To analyse the neuropathological changes behind clinically defined dementia with Lewy bodies (clinDLB) compared with clinically diagnosed Alzheimer's disease (clinAD). The prevalence of neuropathological findings in 48 clinDLB and 45 clinAD cases was compared. Sixteen clinDLB and 10 clinAD cases were reassessed with alpha-synuclein staining for Lew...

Alcoholics often develop personality and behavioural changes, social and personal neglect, confabulation, lack of insight, empathy and emotional control. Such symptoms would increase the risk of engagement in and exposure to acts of violence and criminal activities carrying a risk of physical damage including head trauma and violent death. This was...

To investigate the antitumour effect of radiation in combination with electropermeabilization on subcutaneous rat glioma tumours. Sub-optimal radiation treatment was administered separately or in combination with electric pulses of high voltage to subcutaneous rat brain tumours. The treatment was repeated on four consecutive days and evaluated by T...

Abstract. The purpose of the study was to examine the possibilities of prolonging the life of rats with brain tumours using electroporation only while conducting impedance scans to evaluate the rate of electroporation. During the experiments, the treated rats in the first batch had tumors grow for 14 days and were then given electroporation with 8...

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the second most common primary degenerative dementia with early onset and constitutes about 9% of dementia cases examined post mortem. The clinical picture is related to the distribution and severity of the degenerative changes. This chapter analyzes neuropathologically verified cases of Pick’s disease (PiD) and fro...

The linear Purkinje cell density in the cerebellar vermis was investigated in a small cohort of adult onset schizophrenic men with well-documented hippocampal abnormalities. There were no differences in comparison with age-matched controls. This negative finding indicates that vermian abnormalities undoubtedly seen in some schizophrenic patients ma...

The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography findings in 28 patients with the clinical diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) were compared with the findings in a control group of 76 individuals without dementia or stroke. A pattern of frontal and temporal atrophy with predominantly frontal white matter changes was found in the...

Objective To study the prevalence of patients fulfilling the clinical consensus criteria for dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) in a dementia population followed up with postmortem examination. To compare the clinical and neuropathological findings in the clinical Lewy body dementia (LBD) group with findings in a clinically defined group with Alzheime...

The prevailing anatomical definition of the frontal lobe has resulted in a lobe that is heterogeneous with respect to structure, function and developmental features and at the same time splits up the motor and sensory cortices which have strong functional and developmental bonds, assigning them to different lobes. This topographical map also ignore...

In order to evaluate the functional significance of synaptic pathology, synaptic density was quantitated and related to clinical symptomatology and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in 8 patients with frontal lobe degeneration of non-Alzheimer type (FLD) and 19 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Synaptic density was measured in all layers of...

We have previously localized a locus causing familial nonspecific dementia to the centromeric region of chromosome 3 in a pedigree from the Jutland area of Denmark. This pedigree shows anticipation. Here we present further analysis of these anticipation data which are suggestive of trinucleotide repeat expansion involvement. We also outline our str...

The principles for classification of organic dementia are based on our present knowledge of its etiology, clinical picture, and pathological characteristics such as the type and predominant location of the brain damage. This paper concerns the clinical and pathological findings in dementia cases with primary degenerative changes within the frontal...

In a post-mortem study five chronic schizophrenic men were matched with respect to age and sex to five control subjects without a known history of psychiatric illness, and were compared in pairs with regard to neurone number and pyramidal cell orientation in the left hippocampus. All five schizophrenics had significantly more disoriented pyramidal...

A Swedish family with two generations suffering from presenile dementia with an unusually severe Alzheimer encephalopathy was first reported in 1946. The hypothesis that the disease was inherited through a dominant gene is strongly supported by the follow-up 50years later of three additional generations and molecular genetic findings of a novel pre...

Malignant primary brain tumors have hitherto been incurable. One reason for this may be the migrating tumor cells that spread into the surrounding normal brain, creating the basis for inevitable recurrences. Therefore, local therapy may have a temporary effect, but for a cure, the treatment must reach all the tumor cells. Whole-body hyperthermia (W...

Biological effects of radio frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF) on the blood‐brain barrier (BBB) have been studied in Fischer 344 rats of both sexes. The rats were not anaesthetised during the exposure. All animals were sacrificed by perfusion–fixation of the brains under chloralhydrate anaesthesia after the exposure. The brains were perfused wi...

Our objectives were to investigate the utility of the Hachinski Ischemic Score (HIS) in differentiating patients with pathologically verified Alzheimer's disease (AD), multi-infarct dementia (MID), and "mixed" (AD plus cerebrovascular disease) dementia, and to identify the specific items of the HIS that best discriminate those dementia subtypes. In...

To analyse the character of morphological changes occurring in a well defined peripheral nerve in humans exposed to vibration from hand held tools. Biopsies of the dorsal interosseus nerve just proximal to the wrist were taken from 10 men exposed to vibration and from 12 male age matched necropsy controls. The nerve was resected for pain relief eit...

To describe symptoms, signs, neuroimaging results, and neuropathologic findings in patients from a family with chromosome 17q21-linked autosomal dominant frontotemporal dementia. Multiple case report with genetic investigations. The disease was observed in a Swedish family and documented in 3 generations. Four siblings are described in this article...

Brains from patients with therapy-refractory schizophrenia were examined with respect to pyramidal cell disarray in the hippocampus, a finding reported in some studies, but not confirmed in others. A significantly higher number of disarrayed cells was seen in the brains of the schizophrenic patients in all subfields of the Cornu Ammonis (CA) invest...

Neuropathological brain mapping is enabled by extensive semiserial sectioning with whole brain coronal microscopical sections prepared from every 5 to 15 mm. By this method not only type of change but also distribution and regional severity can be assessed, which is fundamental for a correct neuropathological diagnosis. This has proved to be of vit...

Unlabelled: Centenarians born 1887-91, who lived in southern Sweden were asked to participate in this multidisciplinary study (N = 164). Of the survivors (N = 143), 70 percent agreed (N = 100). The purpose was to describe the population from physical, social, and psychological points of view; to characterize centenarians with various health condit...

It has been suggested that electromagnetic fields (EMF) act as promoters late in the carcinogenesis process. To date, however, there is no convincing laboratory evidence that EMFs cause tumour promotion at nonthermal exposure levels. Therefore the effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields were investigated in a rat brain glioma model. Some of t...

The most important new development during recent years in the field of degenerative dementia concerns synaptic pathology. So far it has been investigated in some regions and some cortical laminae in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The present communication is a more comprehensive study of all laminae in four different regions, the prefrontal, parietal, i...

Frontal lobe degenerative dementias, the second largest degenerative dementia group after Alzheimer's disease, is dominated by frontal lobe degeneration of non-Alzheimer type. It is classified in a group also containing Pick's disease, progressive aphasia and dementia in motor neuron disease. Frontal lobe degeneration of non-Alzheimer type is clini...

This review concerns the fundamental cerebral lesions in cases of vascular dementia. Extracerebral vascular alterations are dominated by atherosclerosis with or without thrombosis. In addition, occlusion of extracerebral arteries can be induced by thrombo-embolism and in rare cases by other vascular diseases, chiefly arteritis. Intracerebral microa...

Our previous studies have demonstrated that mercury vapour exposure of Brown Norway rats induced an autoimmune response with development of glomerulonephritis and resulted in mercury deposition in the central nervous system, particularly in the neurons. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect on the central nervous system. A loss of Pur...

The incidence of tumors in the central nervous system is 10–15 per 100.000 per year. Brain tumors are the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children under 15 years of age, and the third for the group between 15 and 34 years of age. The gliomas, i.e. tumors emanating from the glia, compose the majority of all malignancies of the brain...