Neuropathology of parkinsonism-dementia complex and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis of Guam: an update

A comparative study was performed to investigate the differences and simila rities of the neuropathological findings in the parkinsonism-dementia compl ex (PDC) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) of Guam, progressive supra nuclear palsy and classic ALS. Based on the findings, it is proposed that ( a) PDC is a discrete disease entity, (b) NFTs in Chamorro ALS are merely a background feature widely distributed in this population, (c) Chamorro ALS is a disease combined with classic ALS and neurofibrillary degeneration, (d ) thus a subtype of "Guam ALS" is not present, and (e) PDC and ALS of Guam are different diseases.