TY - JOUR
T1 - Lead content of brain tissue in diffuse neurofibrillary tangles with calcification (DNTC)
T2 - The possibility of lead neurotoxicity
AU - Haraguchi, Takashi
AU - Ishizu, Hideki
AU - Takehisa, Yasushi
AU - Kawai, Kensuke
AU - Yokota, Osamu
AU - Terada, Seishi
AU - Tsuchiya, Kuniaki
AU - Ikeda, Kenji
AU - Morita, Keijirou
AU - Horike, Tokushi
AU - Kira, Shohei
AU - Kuroda, Shigetoshi
PY - 2001/12/21
Y1 - 2001/12/21
N2 - Diffuse neurofibrillary tangles with calcification (DNTC) is a form of presenile dementia, characterized pathologically by fronto-temporal atrophy with neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), neuropil threads and Fahr-type calcification, in which no senile plaques are observed. As already noted, chronic exposure to lead (Pb) might be one of the etiological factors of Fahr-type calcification. Until now, there have been no reports in which Pb concentration has been quantified in DNTC brains. We examined the concentration of Pb in fresh-frozen brain tissue and in 10% formalin-fixed brain tissue from six cases of DNTC, four cases of Alzheimer's disease, and in nine non-demented elderly controls by flameless atomic absorption spectrometry, and demonstrated a high concentration of Pb in DNTC brains. Although it remains unclear how these findings are related to the formation of NFTs, they suggest that Pb neurotoxicity may be involved in the pathogenesis of DNTC.
AB - Diffuse neurofibrillary tangles with calcification (DNTC) is a form of presenile dementia, characterized pathologically by fronto-temporal atrophy with neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), neuropil threads and Fahr-type calcification, in which no senile plaques are observed. As already noted, chronic exposure to lead (Pb) might be one of the etiological factors of Fahr-type calcification. Until now, there have been no reports in which Pb concentration has been quantified in DNTC brains. We examined the concentration of Pb in fresh-frozen brain tissue and in 10% formalin-fixed brain tissue from six cases of DNTC, four cases of Alzheimer's disease, and in nine non-demented elderly controls by flameless atomic absorption spectrometry, and demonstrated a high concentration of Pb in DNTC brains. Although it remains unclear how these findings are related to the formation of NFTs, they suggest that Pb neurotoxicity may be involved in the pathogenesis of DNTC.
KW - Atomic absorption spectrometry
KW - Calcification
KW - Dementia
KW - Diffuse neurofibrillary tangles with calcification (DNTC)
KW - Lead
KW - Neurotoxicity
KW - Tauopathy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0035930454&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0035930454&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/00001756-200112210-00006
DO - 10.1097/00001756-200112210-00006
M3 - Article
C2 - 11742204
AN - SCOPUS:0035930454
VL - 12
SP - 3887
EP - 3890
JO - NeuroReport
JF - NeuroReport
SN - 0959-4965
IS - 18
ER -