THE LIPOFUSCIN CONTENT OF NERVE-CELLS OF THE INFERIOR OLIVARY NUCLEUSIN ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE

Lipofuscin, the age pigment, is of interest in Alzheimer's disease bec ause of its property to accumulate in neurons and because of the hypot hesis that Alzheimer's dementia is a kind of premature ageing. The amo unt of intraneuronal lipofuscin in the inferior olivary nucleus of 20 brains from patients with histologically confirmed Alzheimer's disease according to the CERAD protocol and of 20 controls has been measured microfluorometrically. Patients and controls were matched for age. The amount of lipofuscin in the neurons of the inferior olivary nucleus d id not differ significantly between the cases of Alzheimer's disease a nd the controls. The result is discussed taking the findings of previo us authors into account. We conclude that there is no evidence that li pofuscin plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's di sease.