E. Bouzamondo et al., Selective neuronal vulnerability during experimental scrapie infection: Insights from an ultrastructural investigation, BRAIN RES, 874(2), 2000, pp. 210-215
The goal was to test whether all neurons are equally susceptible to degener
ation in response to PrPSc scrapie infection. We tested this by immunogold
GABA labeling. Our ultrastructural results indicates that GABAergic neurons
are less vulnerable than other neuronal populations. This conclusion is su
pported by our findings: (1) reversal of the normal ratio of non-GABAegic t
o GABAergic neurons in the terminal stages, which implies that non-GABAergi
c neurons degenerated earlier, and (2) that the degeneration of GABAergic n
eurons occurs late in the disease after reactive astrogliosis, a response t
o nerve cell death. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.