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. 2015 Aug;30(5):478-87.
doi: 10.1177/1533317514556876. Epub 2014 Nov 7.

The hypothalamus in Alzheimer's disease: a Golgi and electron microscope study

Stavros J Baloyannis  1 , Ioannis Mavroudis  2 , Demetrios Mitilineos  2 , Ioannis S Baloyannis  2 , Vassiliki G Costa  3
Affiliations

The hypothalamus in Alzheimer's disease: a Golgi and electron microscope study

Stavros J Baloyannis et al. Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen. 2015 Aug.

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by irreversible decline of mental faculties, emotional and behavioral changes, loss of motor skills, and dysfunction of autonomic nervous system and disruption of circadian rhythms (CRs). We attempted to describe the morphological findings of the hypothalamus in early cases of AD, focusing our study mostly on the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the supraoptic nucleus (SON), and the paraventricular nucleus (PVN). Samples were processed for electron microscopy and silver impregnation techniques. The hypothalamic nuclei demonstrated a substantial decrease in the neuronal population, which was particularly prominent in the SCN. Marked abbreviation of dendritic arborization, in association with spinal pathology, was also seen. The SON and PVN demonstrated a substantial number of dystrophic axons and abnormal spines. Alzheimer's pathology, such as deposits of amyloid-β peptide and neurofibrillary degeneration, was minimal. Electron microscopy revealed mitochondrial alterations in the cell body and the dendritic branches. The morphological alterations of the hypothalamic nuclei in early cases of AD may be related to the gradual alteration of CRs and the instability of autonomic regulation.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Golgi staining; electron microscopy; hypothalamus.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Neurons of the SCN (1A, F 75 years), supraoptic nucleus (SON; 1B, M 63 years), and PVN (1C, F 66 years) of the hypothalamus of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brains. The loss of dendritic branches and spines is obvious in comparison with SCN (2A M 76 years, 2B F 68 years) and PVN (2C M 76 years) of normal control brains. Golgi silver impregnation technique (magn ×1200: 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 2C; ×2400: 1C). F indicates female; M, male; magn, magnification; PVN, paraventricular nucleus; SCN, suprachiasmatic nucleus.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Reduction in the size of the dendritic spines (3A) in synaptic profiles and giant spine (3B) in suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in AD (M 78 years). Marked alterations of mitochondria are also observed in paraventricular nucleus (PVN; 3C) and supraoptic nucleus (SON; 4D) in AD (M 72 years). The alteration of Golgi apparatus (4C, M 72 years) is obvious in comparison with normal control (M 75 years) (5A). Electron micrographs magn ×128 000: 3A, 3B, 4D; ×110 000: 3C; ×136 000: 4C; ×67 000: 5A). AD indicates Alzheimer’s disease; F, female; M, male; magn, magnification.
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