Anti-tau-positive glial fibrillary tangles in the brain of postencephalitic parkinsonism of Economo type.

Tau-immunoreactive astrocytes have been reported in the brain of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and are referred to as glial fibrillary tangles (GFTs). We found a number of GFTs in the heavily degenerated brain region in four cases of postencephalitic parkinsonism of Economo (PPE) with a clinical history of over a half-century. GFTs had the appearance of tufts of spider-like radiating fibers or small thorn-like feature by Gallyas-Braak method and also by anti-tau immunostaining.