Histochemical marker of human catecholamine neurons in ganglion cells and processes of a temporal lobe ganglioglioma

Abstract

A temporal lobe ganglioglioma was surgically removed from an 8-year-old boy who had developed temporal lobe paroxysmal convulsions. The present study describes staining reactions of the ganglioglioma tissue with histochemical methods designed to demonstrate the protein bodies, which are markers of catecholamine neurons in humans. Brookes' procedure for basic proteins and rhodamine B for lipids showed identical staining of the following: (1) spherical inclusion bodies in the neoplastic neurons, (2) large eosinophilic globules in the dilated neuronal processes, and (3) the protein bodies in the neurons of human locus ceruleus and sympathetic ganglion. We conclude that the catecholamine neurons of the ganglioglioma possess the same marker of aminergic identity as normal catecholamine neurons in humans. Thus, this marker could be used as an additional diagnostic tool for the identification of this type of tumor.