COLLAGEN ABNORMALITIES IN THE SPINAL-CORD FROM PATIENTS WITH AMYOTROPHIC-LATERAL-SCLEROSIS

Citation
S. Ono et al., COLLAGEN ABNORMALITIES IN THE SPINAL-CORD FROM PATIENTS WITH AMYOTROPHIC-LATERAL-SCLEROSIS, Journal of the neurological sciences, 160(2), 1998, pp. 140-147
Citations number
39
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Neurosciences
ISSN journal
0022-510X
Volume
160
Issue
2
Year of publication
1998
Pages
140 - 147
Database
ISI
SICI code
0022-510X(1998)160:2<140:CAITSF>2.0.ZU;2-L
Abstract
During the last 10 years, we have demonstrated morphological and bioch emical abnormalities of skin extracellular matrices in amyotrophic lat eral sclerosis (ALS). However, currently little is known concerning co llagen of the spinal cord in ALS. We measured the amount of collagen a nd characterized collagen at light and electron microscopic levels in posterior funiculus, posterior half of lateral funiculus and anterior horn of cervical enlargement of the spinal cord obtained from ten pati ents with ALS, 11 patients with other neurologic diseases (control. gr oup A), and ten patients without neurologic ones (control group B). In posterior half of lateral funiculus and anterior hem, (1) by light mi croscopy, there was no significant difference in vessel wall area betw een ALS patients and control groups A and B; (2) ultrastructurally, co llagen bundles were more fragmented and widely separated, and the fibr ils were randomly oriented in the perivascular space of capillaries in ALS patients, which were not observed in any areas of control groups or in posterior funiculus of ALS patients; and (3) the collagen conten ts in ALS were significantly lower (P<0.001 and P<0.001, respectively) than those in control groups A and B. Fragmented and widely separated collagen bundles in the interstitial tissue surrounding capillaries a nd markedly decreased amount of collagen in posterior half of lateral funiculus and in anterior horn of ALS could be related to the degenera tion of the upper and lower motor neurons in the spinal cord in ALS, t hat is, selective neuronal vulnerability in ALS. (C) 1998 Elsevier Sci ence B.V. All rights reserved.