Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with tubulovesicular structures: an ultrastructural study.

Tubulovesicular structures (TVS) have been consistently observed in brain tissue of the transmissible spongiform virus encephalopathies such as natural and experimental scrapie, bovine spongiform encephalopathy and experimentally induced Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). TVS were recently demonstrated in 3 cases of naturally occurring CJD. We report here the presence of TVS in another human brain with CJD, as detected in all 3 specimens by thin section electron microscopy. Their occurrence in all types of spongiform encephalopathies, irrespective of the affected host and the strain of infectious agent, emphasizes their biological significance.     

White matter ultrastructural pathology of experimental Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in mice

Summary Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), previously regarded as a neurodegenerative disorder strictly of the gray matter, occasionally occurs as a panencephalopathic form which is characterized by severe white matter damage. An ultrastructural study of the white matter pathology in mice experimentally infected with the Fujisaki strain of CJD virus revealed: (1) vacuoles within myelin sheaths, formed by splitting either at the major dense or intraperiod lines, or within axons; (2) macrophages filled with numerous myelin figures, lipid droplets and paracrystalline inclusions; (3) astrocytes actively digesting myelin debris; (4) unusual wrapping of several axons by a common myelin sheath; (5) vesicular degeneration of myelin sheaths; (6) close contact between numerous coated pits and outer myelin lamellae; and (7) proliferation of inner mesaxons. Our data indicate that the damage to myelinated axons in the panencephalopathic type of CJD is accomplished primarily by active degradation of myelin by macrophages and astrocytes and by formation of intra-axonal and intra-myelin vacuoles. The myelin vacuolation is most consistent with that produced by leukolysins released from activated macrophages and astrocytes.Presented in part at the 40th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, held in Cincinnati, Ohio, April 17–23, 1988. Dr. Pawel P. Liberski is a recipient of a fellowship from the Fogarty International Center and a grant from the Polish Academy of Sciences (771-VI)     

Echigo-1: a panencephalopathic strain of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: ultrastructural studies of the optic nerve

The Echigo-1 strain of CJD was isolated by Mori and colleagues (1989) from a case of 33-year-old female with a panencephalopathic type of CJD. An incubation period following intracerebral inoculation of hamsters with 10% cleared suspension of the Echigo-1-affected brain was approximately six months. We report here ultrastructural changes which are comparable with those in the white matter of another panencephalopathic type of CJD, the Fujisaki strain of CJD (GSS) passaged in mice. Vacuoles developed within myelinated axons: within axoplasm or within the myelin sheath and these were accompanied by exuberant reaction of macrophages and hypertrophic astrocytes. Axons underwent Wallerian degeneration and dystrophic neurites were also seen. Most important, we observed proliferation of inner mesaxons. Cross-sectional profiles of innumerable myelinated fibers contained membranous organelles which were continuous with the inner lamellae of the oligodendroglial cells. These unusual proliferations of inner mesaxon formed whorls and elaborated loops. In some axons, proliferation was so severe that loops of mesaxon filled the whole cross-section of the axon. Occasionally, we observed intrusion of the membranous tongue of the inner mesaxon into axoplasm. This study presents a second panencephalopathic model of CJD available in small laboratory rodents. It is important because this is the only such model in hamsters and it may be used for comparative studies of different strains of agent in the same host; thus far only mouse and hamster model have been available for comparative studies.     

Ephaptic interactions between myelinated nerve fibres of rodent peripheral nerves

We report evidence that ephaptic interactions may occur between intact mammalian myelinated nerve fibres and not only between demyelinated or damaged mammalian nerve fibres or nerve cells as analysed in previous studies. The ephaptic interactions were investigated between nerve fibres traversing the lumbar dorsal roots and between bundles of fibres in the sciatic nerve in anaesthetized rats in vivo. The interactions were estimated by comparing the excitability of nerve fibres originating from one of the hindlimb nerves (peroneal or sural) under control conditions and when the stimulation of these fibres was combined with stimulation of another nerve (tibial). An increase in nerve volleys recorded from group I muscle afferents in the peroneal nerve and of the fastest skin afferents in the sural nerve was used as a measure of the increase in the excitability. The excitability of these fibres was increased during a fraction of a millisecond, coinciding with the period of passage of nerve impulses evoked by the conditioning stimulation of the tibial nerve. The degree of the increase was comparable to the increases in the excitability evoked by 1–2 min lasting fibre polarization. Ephaptic interactions were found to be more potent and with longer lasting after‐effects within the dorsal roots than within the sciatic nerve. We postulate that ephaptic interactions may result in the synchronization of information forwarded via neighbouring afferent nerve fibres prior to their entry into the spinal cord and thereby securing the propagation of nerve impulses across branching points within the spinal grey matter.     

Neuronal alterations in experimental Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: a Golgi study

Neuronal alterations in the cortex of hamsters with experimental Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) were studied utilizing the rapid Golgi and Golgi-Hortega methods. In terminally ill hamsters many pyramidal neurons showed a considerable decrease in the number of dendritic spines often with moderate irregularities in size. The shafts of apical dendrites in some cortical pyramidal neurons were tortuous. Occasional neuronal cell bodies were irregular in contour and showed hole-like empty spaces. Two types of focal swellings, which involved both axons and dendrites, were observed; focal swellings were either semitranslucent or darkly impregnated. Possible mechanisms for the pathogenesis of the semitranslucent and dark swellings are discussed. The neuronal changes showed no preponderance for a particular neuronal group or for selective segments of individual neurons.     

A study of the capacity of myelinated and unmyelinated nerves to induce experimental allergic neuritis

Summary The capacity of myelin-free Schwann cells to induce EAN was investigated. Human foetal peripheral nerve and human adult abdominal vagus nerve, both containing little or no myelin, failed to induce EAN when injected intradermally (together with Freund's adjuvant) into rabbits. In contrast, human adult sciatic nerve, which is heavily myelinated, induced characteristic signs and histopathology of EAN. Thus in the myelin-free antigens Schwann cell plasma membrane, from which myelin is apparently derived, failed to induce EAN. Reasons for this paradox are discussed.     

Rosenthal fibres: an immunohistochemical,ultrastructural and immunoelectron microscopic study

Summary The nature of Rosenthal fibres (RF) was investigated in eight cases each of low-grade astrocytoma and reactive gliosis using immunohistochemical (IH) staining for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), electron microscopy (EM) and immunoelectron microscopy (IEM) by immunogold labelling technique. By IH under light microscopy (LM), three types of RF were seen, uniformly positive (type I), rim positive (type II) and completely negative (type III). EM showed variation in structural pattern of RF. Some RF contained large amount of glial filaments (GF) intermingled with RF while others with a large amount of electron dense material and less GF. Thus, the presence and amount of GF in RF appear to be responsible for the different types of IH staining under LM. IEM showed that all RF including the ones consisting of entirelh amorphous material possess immunoreactivity for GFAP.It is suggested that RF formation is a two-stage process, staring with excessive accumulation of GF within astrocytic processes followed by their gradual alteration into electron-dense amorphous material under the influence of some unknown metablic or other factors. The quantitative analysis of different types of RF suggests a difference in the rate of formation of RF in neoplastic and reactive conditions.     

Cerebral glycosidases in experimental Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

In Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), there are prominent ultrastructural alterations of the plasma membrane, which contains many glycolipids and glycoproteins. Glycosidases can degrade glycolipids and glycoproteins. Gangliosides, a subset of glycolipids, are decreased in amount at the terminal stages of CJD, and CJD infectivity is closely associated with membrane rich fractions. We therefore studied 10 glycosidases, and found a statistically significant increase in beta-xylosidase, beta-glucuronidase, N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase and N-acetyl-beta-D-galactosaminidase activities in CJD. In contrast, alpha-glucosidase, beta-glucosidase, alpha-galactosidase, alpha-mannosidase, alpha-fucosidase, and beta-galactosidase were not significantly changed. The above results are consistent with degenerative membrane changes observed morphologically, and with increased degradation of sugar residues on lipids and/or proteins. These changes may be effected by the accumulation of the CJD agent in cell membranes. We suggest that the higher activities of these enzymes in CJD may be partially responsible for some of the structural and biochemical alterations in CJD infected brains.     

Fiber structure of optic nerve in cadmium-exposed diabetic rats: an ultrastructural study

This study aimed to show ultrastructural effects of diabetes and cadmium on the optic nerve. We used 52 healthy Swiss albino male rats. They were divided into four groups: control (C), diabetic (D), cadmium, (Cd), and diabetic with cadmium (D + Cd). The diabetic condition was created by intravenous injection of 5 mg alloxan/100 g. Intraperitoneal CdCl2(2 mg kg/week) was given to Cd and D + Cd groups for two months. At the end of the experimental period, animals were sacrificed and the optic nerves were dissected at the front level of chiasma opticum. The tissue samples were investigated by using light and electron microscopic techniques. It was found that both diabetes and Cd intoxication cause myelin disorganization and organelle destruction in axoplasm and cytoplasm of glia. The results suggested that Cd increases the oxidative stress induced by diabetes, by disturbing some enzymatic mechanisms.     

实验性自身免疫性脑脊髓炎的视神经病理改变

目的 研究实验性自身免疫性脑脊髓炎(EAE)的视神经病理改变.方法 足垫皮下注射豚鼠脊髓匀浆和完全弗氏佐剂(CFA)混合物制作Wismr大鼠EAE模型,于发病后第6d将大鼠处死,取视神经、脑和脊髓,行HE和LFB染色,光镜和电镜下观察其病理改变.结果 病理检查发现EAE模型组大鼠脑、脊髓有不同程度的炎症反应和脱髓鞘改变;均有视神经病变,光镜主要表现为炎症反应和脱髓鞘,视神经髓鞘脱失重于炎症反应;电镜主要表现为髓鞘稀疏,少突胶质细胞数量减少、胞核固缩,其周围包裹的髓鞘板层松解,轴突髓鞘分离.结论 EAE大鼠存在明显的视神经病变,主要为视神经炎症反应和脱髓鞘改变.     

Afferent connections of the optic tectum in lampreys: an experimental study

Tectal afferents were studied in adult lampreys of three species (Ichthyomyzon unicuspis, Lampetra fluviatilis, and Petromyzon marinus) following unilateral BDA injections into the optic tectum (OT). In the secondary prosencephalon, neurons projecting to the OT were observed in the pallium, the subhipoccampal lobe, the striatum, the preoptic area and the hypothalamus. Following tectal injections, backfilled diencephalic cells were found bilaterally in: prethalamic eminence, ventral geniculate nucleus, periventricular prethalamic nucleus, periventricular pretectal nucleus, precommissural nucleus, magnocellular and parvocellular nuclei of the posterior commissure and pretectal nucleus; and ipsilaterally in: nucleus of Bellonci, periventricular thalamic nucleus, nucleus of the tuberculum posterior, and the subpretectal tegmentum, as well as in the pineal organ. At midbrain levels, retrogradely labeled cells were seen in the ipsilateral torus semicircularis, the contralateral OT, and bilaterally in the mesencephalic reticular formation and inside the limits of the retinopetal nuclei. In the hindbrain, tectal projecting cells were also bilaterally labeled in the dorsal and lateral isthmic nuclei, the octavolateral area, the sensory nucleus of the descending trigeminal tract, the dorsal column nucleus and the reticular formation. The rostral spinal cord also exhibited a few labeled cells. These results demonstrate a complex pattern of connections in the lamprey OT, most of which have been reported in other vertebrates. Hence, the lamprey OT receives a large number of nonvisual afferents from all major brain areas, and so is involved in information processing from different somatic sensory modalities.     

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: an update

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is a novel human prion disease caused by the bovine spongiform encephalopathy agent. Most cases have occurred in the UK, with smaller numbers in 11 other countries. All definite vCJD cases have occurred in methionine homozygotes at codon 129 in the prion protein gene. Following oral infection, the vCJD agent appears to replicate in lymphoid tissues during the asymptomatic phase of the incubation period. At present, four probable cases of vCJD infection have been identified following transfusion of red blood cells from asymptomatic donors who subsequently died from vCJD. Recently, one case of likely transmission of vCJD infection by UK Factor VIII concentrates has been reported in an elderly haemophilic patient in the UK. The recent report of a blood test that may be used to detect vCJD has raised the possibility of a new way to identify infected individuals, perhaps even before the onset of clinical symptoms.     

Serial ultrastructural study of experimental Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease in guinea pigs

Summary Guinea pigs inoculated with brain homogenate from serially passaged Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) were killed biweekly starting at week 2 until terminal illness (about 200 days following inoculation). A mild swelling of postsynaptic dendrites and an increase in the number of glial filaments in astrocytic processes was seen at week 4, followed by increased swelling and lucency of axons and dendrites by week 6 post inoculation (p.i.). Severe undulation and focal interruptions of synaptic membranes were also observed both at weeks 4 and 6. By week 8, one could see cystically dilated cellular processes. These sometimes showed continuity with adjacent swollen processes through focally disrupted plasma membranes, and most likely represent a progressive enlargement of vacuoles through fusion and subsequent addition of adjoining processes. The spongiform changes increased mildly between week 8 and week 10 and remained essentially the same in subsequent weeks. After week 24 there was a sharp increase in both the number and size of vacuoles. At week 24 severe structural alterations were present both in the neurons and astrocytes, and numerous intranuclear inclusions were demonstrated in many neuronal nuclei. This study shows that morphological changes in the brain occur considerably earlier than the clinical manifestations of the disease. In the early phase of the disease, there were significant alterations on the dendrites and synapses.Supported by grants NS 12674 and AG 03106 from the National Institutes of Health