Alterations in Tyrosine Hydroxylase Immunoreactive Neurons of the Locus ceruleus in Pick's Disease

The present study describes qualitative and quantitative investigations of the norepinephrine neurons in the locus ceruleus as well as in the subceruleus region of a case of the rare autosomal dominant Pick's disease as compared with a representative control and a case of senile dementia of the Alzheimer type selected from the ZÜrich Study on Dementia. It confirms previous findings that it is possible to differentiate between the norepinephrine neurons of locus ceruleus in normal brain and that in the SDAT for diagnostic purposes and suggests a similar possibility for Pick's disease. In Pick's disease locus ceruleus norepinephrine neurons appear morphologically altered with smaller somata and loss of dendritic and axonal processes, and when present, are foreshortened and less branched. Locus ceruleus neuron numbers are slightly reduced as compared with the control case.