Frequency of Alzheimer's neurofibrillary tangles in the basal ganglia and brain-stem in Alzheimer's disease, senile dementia and the aged.

The authors studied the frequency of neurofibrillary tangles in the basal ganglia and brain-stem of two cases with Alzheimer's disease (average 55 years of age), six cases with senile dementia (average 82 years) and ten cases with cerebral softening and arteriosclerosis in old age (average 79 years). The distribution pattern of ANC was almost the same in Alzheimer's disease and senile dementia, i.e. plenty of ANC were found in the nucl. dorsalis raphe, nucl. centralis superior, nucl. mamilloinfundibularis and nucl. basilaris, but in senile dementia ANC were much fewer in the thalamus and lenticular nuclei. In the aged with cerebral softening and arteriosclerosis, a negligible number of ANC in the brain-stem made a marked contrast to a large quantity of ANC in the cases with senile dementia. Hence, as far as ANC in the brain-stem is concerned, no continuum seems to exist between normal senility and senile dementia.