HIPPOCAMPAL MOSSY FIBERS IN ALZHEIMERS-DI SEASE

An ultrastructural study of changes in synaptic contacts and astrocyti c processes of postmortem hippocampus was performed in 5 cases of Alzh eimer's disease. Mossy fibres in the stratum lucidum were examined. Pr onounced alterations included clustering of synaptic vesicles, membran ous damage and multilamellar profiles in synaptic terminals. There wer e many hypertrophic astrocytic processes around synapses. The findings suggest that the ultrastructural alterations in messy fibers expansio n, and the disturbance of glio-synaptic relationships might contribute to memory impairment In Alzheimer s disease.