AMYGDALA PATHOLOGY IN PARKINSONS-DISEASE

The amygdala undergoes severe pathological changes during the course o f Parkinson's disease (PD). Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites are distribu ted in a specific manner throughout the nuclear complex. The lesional pattern displays only minor interindividual variation. The most promin ent changes occur in the accessory cortical and central nuclei. The co rtical, accessory basal and granular nuclei show less severe alteratio ns, while the basal and lateral nuclei, as well as the intercalated ce ll masses, generally remain uninvolved. The amygdala receives a broad range of afferents, allowing integration of exteroceptive information with interoceptive data. It generates major projections to the isocort ex (the prefrontal cortex in particular), limbic system (hippocampus a nd entorhinal region) and centers regulating endocrine and autonomic f unctions. The specific lesional pattern seen in PD destroys part of th e nuclear gray matter and its connections and, thus, may likely contri bute to the development of behavioral changes and autonomic dysfunctio ns.