ABNORMAL CYTOARCHITECTURE OF CORTICAL DYSPLASIA VERIFIED BY IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY

Cortical dysplasia is a broad category for an abnormal structure of th e cerebrum due to a disorder of the normal developmental process for n eocortex. We investigated the cortical dysplastic lesions which were s urgically resected from 4 patients with intractable epilepsy. All case s showed a derangement of the cortical laminar structure and dysplasti c changes in the heurons. In addition, 3 of them showed large round ce lls (balloon cells) in the deep cortex and subcortical white matter. S ince each lesion showed slightly different features, we further examin ed the lesions immunohistochemically by using a panel of antibodies ag ainst cytoskeletal proteins to recognize and classify the cortical dys plastic lesions. An immunohistochemical study revealed marked abnormal ities of the cytoskeletal structures of dysplastic neurons, bizarre gl ial cells and balloon cells. These cells showed an accumulation of eit her phosphorylated NF, MAP2 or GFAP in a distinct fashion. Ubiquitin i mmunoreactivity highlighted the extent of cortical dysplastic lesions. In a young patient, we also found the neuronal cytoplasmic lipofuscin deposition. It is thus considered that these diverse immunohistochemi cal appearances of cortical dysplasia may thus imply a different patho genesis and they should therefore be classified based on the extent of histological abnormalities.