Pyramidal neurons of the prefrontal cortex in post-stroke, vascular and other ageing-related dementias

Dementia associated with cerebrovascular disease is common. It has been reported that ~30% of elderly patients who survive stroke develop delayed dementia (post-stroke dementia), with most cases being diagnosed as vascular dementia. The pathological substrates associated with post-stroke or vascular dementia are poorly understood, particularly those associated with executive dysfunction. Three separate yet interconnecting circuits control executive function within the frontal lobe involving the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex and the orbitofrontal cortex. We used stereological methods, along with immunohistological and related cell morphometric analysis, to examine densities and volumes of pyramidal neurons of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex and orbitofrontal cortex in the frontal lobe from a total of 90 elderly subjects (age range 71–98 years). Post-mortem brain tissues from post-stroke dementia and post-stroke patients with no dementia were derived from our prospective Cognitive Function After Stroke study. We also examined, in parallel, samples from ageing controls and similar age subjects pathologically diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, mixed Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, and vascular dementia. We found pyramidal cell volumes in layers III and V in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of post-stroke and vascular dementia and, of mixed and Alzheimer’s disease subjects to be reduced...

Source: Brain - August 13, 2014 Category: Neurology Authors: Foster, V., Oakley, A. E., Slade, J. Y., Hall, R., Polvikoski, T. M., Burke, M., Thomas, A. J., Khundakar, A., Allan, L. M., Kalaria, R. N. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research