Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2003 Jan 20;14(1):73-6.
doi: 10.1097/00001756-200301200-00014.

Nucleus-specific alteration of raphe neurons in human neurodegenerative disorders

Gabor G Kovacs  1 , Stefan Klöppel, Ingeborg Fischer, Suzanne Dorner, Elisabeth Lindeck-Pozza, Peter Birner, Ingolf C Bötefür, Peter Pilz, Benedikt Volk, Herbert Budka
Affiliations

Nucleus-specific alteration of raphe neurons in human neurodegenerative disorders

Gabor G Kovacs et al. Neuroreport. .

Abstract

Neurodegenerative diseases share symptoms suggested to be related to the serotonergic system. To evaluate the involvement of serotonergic raphe nuclei, we compared the percentage of neurons synthesizing serotonin in the nucleus centralis superior (NCS), raphe obscurus and pallidus (NROP) in Alzheimer's disease (AD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple system atrophy (MSA), and control brains. We used immunohistochemistry for tryptophan hydroxylase (TpOH), phosphorylated tau, and alpha-synuclein. We observed a significant decrease in the NCS in the NROP in AD, but a significant increase in PSP and MSA. Cytoskeletal pathology was present in the NCS and NROP to a variable degree. We conclude that there is disease- and nucleus-specific alteration of serotonin synthesis in the raphe.

PubMed Disclaimer

MeSH terms