Histopathology 16 - Neurodegeneration

Question 1

Recall 4 histopatological features of a brain with Alzheimer’s dementia

Answer 1

Extracellular plaques
Neurofibrillary tangles
Cerebral amyloid angiopathy
Neuronal loss (cerebral atrophy)

Question 2

What does Tau staining show in Alzheimer’s disease?

Answer 2

Hyperphosphorylation

Question 3

How is Alzheimer’s disease diagnosed at post-mortem?

Answer 3

Tau staining

Question 4

What grading is used to stage Alzheimer’s disease at post-mortem?

Answer 4

Braak grading

Pathological changes begin in hippocampus and spread to occipital cortex - degree of spread guides staging

Question 5

What is the basic pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease?

Answer 5

Loss of dopaminergic cells in the substantia nigra, which project onto the striatum to control movement

Question 6

What is the role of Lewy bodies in Parkinson’s disease?

Answer 6

Cause a mutation in alpha synuclein

Question 7

What disease are “ballroom neurons” associated with?

Answer 7

Frontotemporal dementia/ Pick’s disease

Question 8

Which neurodegenerative disease shows 4R 3R tauopathy?

Answer 8

Alzheimer’s dementia

Question 9

Which neurodegenerative disease shows 4R tauopathy?

Answer 9

Progressive supranuclear palsy

Question 10

Which neurodegenerative disease shows 3R tauopathy?

Answer 10

Pick’s disease

Question 11

Which neurodegenerative disease can be caused by a progranulin Z mutation?

Answer 11

Frontotemporal dementia (in this case there would be no tau pathology)