Faculty Collaboration Database

Loss and atrophy of layer II entorhinal cortex neurons in elderly people with mild cognitive impairment. Ann Neurol 2001 Feb;49(2):202-13

Date

02/28/2001

Pubmed ID

11220740

DOI

10.1002/1531-8249(20010201)49:2<202::AID-ANA40>3.0.CO;2-3

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0035131830 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   385 Citations

Abstract

Layer II of the entorhinal cortex contains the cells of origin for the perforant path, plays a critical role in memory processing, and consistently degenerates in end-stage Alzheimer's disease. The extent to which neuron loss in layer II of entorhinal cortex is related to mild cognitive impairment without dementia has not been extensively investigated. We analyzed 29 participants who came to autopsy from our ongoing longitudinal study of aging and dementia composed of religious clergy (Religious Orders Study). All individuals underwent detailed clinical evaluation within 12 months of death and were categorized as having no cognitive impairment (n = 8), mild cognitive impairment (n = 10), or mild or moderate Alzheimer's disease (n = 11). Sections through the entorhinal cortex were immunoreacted with an antibody directed against a neuron-specific nuclear protein (NeuN). Stereological counts of NeuN-immunoreactive stellate cells, their volume, and the volume of layer II entorhinal cortex were estimated. Cases exhibiting no cognitive impairment averaged 639,625 +/- 184,600 layer II stellate neurons in the right entorhinal cortex. Individuals with mild cognitive impairment (63.5%; p < 0.0003) and mild or moderate Alzheimer's disease (46.06%; p < 0.0017) displayed significant losses of layer II entorhinal cortex neurons relative to those with no cognitive impairment but not relative to each other (p > 0.33). There was also significant atrophy of layer II entorhinal cortex neurons in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (24.1%) and Alzheimer's disease (25.1%). The volume of layer II was also reduced in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (26.5%), with a further reduction in those with Alzheimer's disease (46.4%). The loss and atrophy of layer II entorhinal cortex neurons significantly correlated with performance on clinical tests of declarative memory. Atrophy of layer II entorhinal cortex and the neurons within this layer significantly correlated with performance on the Mini Mental Status Examination. These data indicate that atrophy and loss of layer II entorhinal cortex neurons occur in elderly subjects with mild cognitive impairment prior to the onset of dementia and suggests that these changes are not exacerbated in early Alzheimer's disease.

Author List

Kordower JH, Chu Y, Stebbins GT, DeKosky ST, Cochran EJ, Bennett D, Mufson EJ

Author

Elizabeth J. Cochran MD Adjunct Professor in the Pathology department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Atrophy
Cognition Disorders
Entorhinal Cortex
Female
Humans
Immunohistochemistry
Male