Dendritic and spinal pathology in the acoustic cortex in Alzheimer's disease: morphological and morphometric estimation by Golgi technique and electron microscopy.

CONCLUSIONS: The morphological and morphometric estimation of the dendrites and the dendritic spines in the acoustic cortex in Alzheimer's disease revealed substantial alterations of the dendritic arborization and marked loss of the dendritic spines. This may be related to communication impairment even in early cases of Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVES: Alzheimer's disease is characterized by progressive loss of memory, impairment of judgment, and decline in communication and speech eloquence. In the present study we attempted to describe the morphological and morphometric alterations of the dendrites and the dendritic spines in the acoustic cortex in early cases of Alzheimer's disease, in order to approach the communication impairment of patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease, from the neuropathological point of view.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied the acoustic cortex in 22 cases of Alzheimer's disease by Golgi technique and electron microscopy.

RESULTS: The morphological and morphometric estimation of the acoustic cortex revealed loss of Cajal-Retzius cells in layer I, as well as an impressive abbreviation of the dendritic fields associated with loss of dendritic spines in all layers of the cortex. Numerous distorted, dystrophic and degenerated dendritic spines were also seen, which were intermixed with a considerable number of giant spines. The dendritic and spinal alterations were closely associated with mitochondrial alterations.