Colloid (hyaline) inclusion bodies in the central nervous system: Their presence in the substantia nigra is diagnostic of Parkinson's disease

M. A. Pappolla, D. L. Shank, J. Alzofon, A. W. Dudley

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

31 Scopus citations

Abstract

Intracytoplasmic "colloid" inclusions have been described within neurons of several discrete central nervous system nuclei in a variety of entities. Although they lack specificity for any particular disease, they are believed to represent one of the morphologic changes of neuronal aging. Because premature aging of the substantia nigra has been one of the claimed mechanisms occurring in Parkinson's disease, the prevalence of colloid inclusions was studied within the substantia nigra in 15 patients with Parkinson's disease, 15 age-matched controls, 50 "normal" individuals, 10 patients with dementia of Alzheimer's type, and two patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Colloid bodies were found in the substantia nigra of all patients with Parkinson's disease and were virtually absent in the other populations. Histochemical and ultrastructural analyses showed that colloid bodies differ from early and mature Lewy bodies. They may represent the "pale" inclusions rarely mentioned in the literature and often mistaken for early Lewy bodies. "Colloid" bodies in the substantia nigra are diagnostic of Parkinson's disease. These findings support the theory of "premature" aging of the substantia nigra in this disease.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)27-31
Number of pages5
JournalHuman Pathology
Volume19
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1988
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Lewy bodies
  • Parkinson's disease
  • central nervous system
  • colloid inclusions
  • neuronal aging
  • substantia nigra

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pathology and Forensic Medicine

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Colloid (hyaline) inclusion bodies in the central nervous system: Their presence in the substantia nigra is diagnostic of Parkinson's disease'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this