Severe pathological changes of parabrachial nucleus in Alzheimer's disease.

In the first of a series of studies aimed at mapping brain stem pathological changes in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), we report a new finding regarding the parabrachial nucleus (PBN), a unit of paramount importance in the relay and integration of visceral and nociceptive information as well as in homeostatic control. The brains of 20 patients with AD were surveyed. The PBN contained pervasive neuropathological changes in 100% of the brains from those with early-onset dementia and in 80% from those with late-onset dementia. These changes were entirely absent in all 10 normal controls. The pathological changes of PBN, would cause autonomic dysfunction in patients with AD and perhaps contribute to the disproportionate mortality encountered in these patients.