Loss of nerve fibres in the corpus callosum of progressive subcortical vascular encephalopathy.

The nerve fibres of the corpus callosum were studied by electron microscopy in five elderly patients with progressive subcortical vascular encephalopathy (PSVE) and compared with those in six age-matched controls. The number of nerve fibres per unit area of the corpus callosum was decreased in PSVE by 18-26%. The loss of nerve fibres in the corpus callosum can play a role in inducing the cognitive deficit of PSVE, on the basis of the loss of nerve fibres in the cerebral hemispheres.