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Acta Neuropathologica Communications
Published in: Acta Neuropathologica Communications 1/2015

Open Access 01-12-2015 | Research

Differential expression of galanin in the cholinergic basal forebrain of patients with Lewy body disorders

Authors: Athanasios Alexandris, Alan King Lun Liu, Raymond Chuen-Chung Chang, Ronald K. B. Pearce, Steve M. Gentleman

Published in: Acta Neuropathologica Communications | Issue 1/2015

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Abstract

Introduction

Depletion of cholinergic neurons within the nucleus basalis of Meynert (nbM) is thought to contribute to the development of cognitive impairments in both Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Lewy body disorders (LBD). It has been reported that, in late stage AD, a network of fibres that contain the neuropeptide galanin displays significant hypertrophy and ‘hyperinnervates’ the surviving cholinergic neurons. Galanin is considered as a highly inducible neuroprotective factor and in AD this is assumed to be part of a protective tissue response. The aim of this study was to determine if a similar galanin upregulation is present in the nbM in post-mortem tissue from patients with LBD. Gallatin immunohistochemistry was carried out on anterior nbM sections from 76 LBD cases (27 PD, 15 PD with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), 34 PD with dementia (PDD) and 4 aged-matched controls. Galaninergic innervation of cholinergic neurons was assessed on a semi-quantitative scale.

Results

The LBD group had significantly higher galaninergic innervation scores (p = 0.016) compared to controls. However, this difference was due to increased innervation density only in a subgroup of LBD cases and this correlated positively with choline acetyltransferase–immunopositive neuron density.

Conclusion

Galanin upregulation within the basal forebrain cholinergic system in LBD, similar to that seen in AD, may represent an intrinsic adaptive response to neurodegeneration that is consistent with its proposed roles in neurogenesis and neuroprotection.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Differential expression of galanin in the cholinergic basal forebrain of patients with Lewy body disorders
Authors
Athanasios Alexandris
Alan King Lun Liu
Raymond Chuen-Chung Chang
Ronald K. B. Pearce
Steve M. Gentleman
Publication date
01-12-2015
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Acta Neuropathologica Communications / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 2051-5960
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40478-015-0249-4

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