Biomedical subjects

B Bogerts

Publications and source records attributed to B Bogerts.

114 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

PubMed1983

A morphometric study of the dopamine-containing cell groups in the mesencephalon of normals, Parkinson patients, and schizophrenics.

A quantitative study of the melanin-containing dopaminergic neurons of the nigrostriatal system (A 9) and of the mesolimbic system (A 10) was carried out on Nissl-stained serial sections of nine normal brains, six age-matched brains of schizophrenics, five brains of paralysis agitans, and six brains of postencephalitic parkinsonism. By contrast with most laboratory animals the A 10 cell group is not well developed in the human brain. Both in Parkinson's disease with a known hypoactivity of dopamine neurons and in schizophrenia with a postulated hyperfunction of these systems, pathological alterations of the dopamine cell groups can be observed. In paralysis agitans the nigrostriatal and the mesolimbic cell groups exhibit a significant loss of neurons, while the remaining mesolimbic cells appear to be in better condition. In the postencephalitic parkinsonism both systems have almost completely disappeared with a significant loss of nerve and glial cells. In schizophrenia there is a significant decrease in the volume of the nigrostriatal area. Here the mean volume of the glial nuclei is reduced, whereas the mean volume of the nerve cells is diminished in the mesolimbic part.

Adult↗

PubMed1981

A brainstem atlas of catecholaminergic neurons in man, using melanin as a natural marker.

The present paper provides an atlas showing the distribution of melanin-containing nerve cells in the human brainstem. It was found that neuro-melanin, which can be viewed as a waste product of catecholamine metabolism, is suitable as a natural marker for catecholaminergic neurons in the medulla oblongata, pons, and te mesencephalon of the adult human brain. Within these areas of the brain, there is a striking similarity between the location of melanin and the catecholamine cell bodies described in various animals and in human fetuses, whereas no melanin was found in the diencephalic dopaminergic cell groups. Cell counts from the center of each area showed that the mean density of melanin-containing perikarya varied considerably between the different areas.

Brain Stem↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Post-mortem volume measurements of limbic system and basal ganglia structures in chronic schizophrenics. Initial results from a new brain collection.

Volumes of the hippocampal formation, external and internal pallidum, caudate, putamen, and nucleus accumbens were measured in both hemispheres of recently collected post-mortem brains of 18 chronically ill schizophrenics and 21 control subjects. In the schizophrenic group, the hippocampal formation and the internal pallidum were significantly smaller in the right and left hemisphere, whereas external pallidum, putamen, caudate and accumbens were not significantly changed. Volumes of the hippocampus and of all evaluated parts of the basal ganglia were in the male schizophrenics more reduced than in the female patients. The right and left hemispheres were equally affected in both sexes. Since the mean brain weight was in patients and controls nearly identical, the volume differences can not be explained by a general brain atrophy or hypoplasia but rather indicate a more focal lack of brain tissue, by which some clinical features of the disease might be explained.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Abnormal localization of two neuronal calcium sensor proteins, visinin-like proteins (vilips)-1 and -3, in neocortical brain areas of Alzheimer disease patients.

The anatomical distribution of the neuronal calcium sensor proteins visinin-like protein-1 and -3 (VILIP-1 and -3) was investigated in various neocortical areas of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and controls. In AD and normal brains their cellular localization was confined to pyramidal and non-pyramidal neurons. In AD brains the intracellular immunostaining for VILIP-1 and to a lesser extent for VILIP-3 was found to be reduced in comparison to controls. Also, significantly less VILIP-1-immunoreactive neurons were found in the temporal cortex of AD patients as compared to normal brains. Accordingly, Western blot analysis revealed that immunoreactivity for VILIP-1 is less concentrated in tissue extracts of the temporal cortex of AD patients compared to controls. Extracellularly, VILIP-1 and VILIP-3 immunoreactive material was detected in close association with typical pathologic hallmarks of AD such as dystrophic nerve cell processes, amorphous and neuritic plaques, and extracellular tangles. In control brains an extraneuronal localization of VILIP-1 or VILIP-3 was never observed. Our morphological and neurochemical findings point to an involvement of these two neuronal calcium sensor proteins in pathology and possibly pathophysiology of changed calcium homeostasis in AD.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Abnormalities of the septum pellucidum on MR scans in first-episode schizophrenic patients.

PURPOSE AND METHODS: Cavities in the septum pellucidum have been widely regarded in clinical neurology or in autopsy series as incidental findings of little clinical importance; however, an association between this developmental anomaly and a diagnosis of psychosis has been reported. We compared MR brain scans of schizophrenic patients with normal control subjects to determine the prevalence of this finding in the two groups: RESULTS: A cavum septum pellucidum was found in 14 of 62 (23%) schizophrenic patients and only one of 46 control subjects (2%). Pronounced enlargement of the cavum septum and a cavum vergae were seen only in two schizophrenic subjects. A partial agenesis of the corpus callosum was also seen in one of the schizophrenic cases with the largest cavum septum pellucidum. CONCLUSIONS: The increased prevalence of a cavum septum pellucidum, the cavum vergae, and partial callosal agenesis in schizophrenics support the hypothesis that anomalous development of the brain is an important aspect of this disorder. The disturbed structures are closely linked developmentally to the limbic system which has been implicated etiologically in studies of schizophrenia.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Three-dimensional fast low-angle shot imaging and computerized volume measurement of the hippocampus in patients with chronic epilepsy of the temporal lobe.

This study investigated the use of three-dimensional fast low-angle shot (FLASH) imaging and computer-assisted morphometry for identifying hippocampal changes associated with unilateral temporal lobe seizures. Contiguous 3.1-mm coronal FLASH images were obtained in 28 patients with electroencephalographically verified left (n = 17) or right (n = 11) temporal lobe seizures and 28 age- and sex-matched control subjects. Hippocampal volumes were calculated with the use of a computerized mensuration system developed for detailed morphometric assessment. The results of a multivariate analysis of variance revealed a significant group difference by hemisphere interaction (F = 26.3, p less than .001). Significant reductions in left hippocampal volume (32%, p less than .001) were exhibited in patients with left temporal lobe seizures, and significant reductions in right hippocampal volume (35%, p less than .001) were seen in patients with right temporal lobe seizures. A discriminant analysis with the use of left and right hippocampal volumes classified patients with left temporal lobe seizures with 94% sensitivity and 73% specificity and patients with right temporal lobe seizures with 89% sensitivity and 94% specificity. The results of this study demonstrate that unilateral temporal lobe seizures are accompanied by significant reductions in hippocampal volume ipsilateral to the seizure focus. The use of FLASH imaging and computer-assisted morphometry of the hippocampus appears to provide valuable structural information for confirming the laterality of the electroencephalographic seizure focus.

Adolescent↗