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Morphological Changes of Microvessels in the Brain with Alzheimer's Disease
Author(s) -
Miyakawa Taihei,
Uehara Yasuo,
Desaki Junzo,
Kimura Takemi,
Kuramoto Ryoko
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1440-1819
pISSN - 1323-1316
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1819.1988.tb01171.x
Subject(s) - alzheimer's disease , neuroscience , disease , medicine , psychology , pathology
The pathological changes of microvessels in the cerebral cortex in Alzheimer's disease were examined at the ultrastructural level. With transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the endothelial cells of many capillaries their pericytes exhibited atrophy swelling with a narrowed lumen. The capillary basal laminas were thickened tortuous. After isolation of the microvessels by ultrasonic treatment collagenase digestion, the vascular wall structure was viewed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Most of the terminal arterioles had smooth muscle cells with an irregular shape arrangement often showed a series of focal constrictions. In some areas, the capillaries were arrayed in a bundle terminated with tapered ends. Associated with the microvessels were fine filaments which may represent amyloid fibrils. The findings indicate that diffuse atrophy the deletion of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex might be caused, at least partly, by a circulatory disturbance through the patho‐morphologically changed microvessels.