[An autopsy case of Alzheimer's disease associated with Parkinson's disease, compared to 2 autopsy cases of diffuse Lewy body disease].

ABSTRACT

A 68 year old male, diagnosed as Alzheimer's disease clinically, pathologically showed both findings of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. The brain weight was 940 g. Macroscopically, severe cortical brain atrophy and depigmentation of the substantia nigra was noted. Microscopic examination showed marked appearance of senile plaque and a large number of neurofibrillary tangle with sever neuronal loss of the cerebral cortex. Additionally, the loss of neuron with many Lewy bodies was found in the substantia nigra. Lewy bodies were also found in the locus ceruleus and the dorsal vagal nucleus, but few in the cerebral cortical neurons. We compared this case neuropathologically with two autopsy cases of diffuse Lewy body disease (DLBD). There was no distinction concerning the lesions of the brain stem between this case and the cases of DLBD. In all three cases, the nucleus of basalis of Meynert showed marked neuronal loss. However, the brain was lighter than those of the cases of DLBD. Senile changes such as senile plaque and neurofibrillary tangles were more marked in this cases than in the cases of DLBD. Furthermore a large number of cortical Lewy bodies were found in the cases of DLBD, but few in this case. The distribution and number of Lewy bodies did not correspond with those of senile changes in the cases of DLBD. Also the cerebral cortical structure was better preserved in the cases of DLBD than in this case. In conclusion, from the clinicopathological findings, we considered that this case is Alzheimer's disease associated with Parkinson's disease. According to Kosaka's study, this case seemed to correspond with a transitional type of the Lewy body disease.