[An autopsy case with peculiar acidophilic bodies in the dentate nucleus and brain stem, associated with degeneration of the pyramidal-extrapyramidal systems]

Case S.S. 59 years of age, male. At the age of 25, he had admitted to sanatorium for 7 years because of pulmonary tuberculosis. After his discharge, at the age of 45, he had started complaining of depressive mood or the idea of suicide and admitted to a mental hospital. Psychiatric diagnosis was depression and slight mental retardation. Shortly after, his depressive mood was improved, but his hypochondriac attitude was unchanged. No tendency toward dementia was proven. At the age of 54, he became enable to walk. Neurologically, pyramidal and some sort of extrapyramidal signs, dysarthria, disturbance of swallowing, fecal and urinary incontinence became apparent. Laboratory data showed scarcely any abnormality. At the age of 59, he died of bronchopneumonia. Neuropathologically, moderate degeneration of dentate nucleus, slight degeneration of pyramidal tract from medulla oblongata to spinal cord, striatum, substantia nigra were found. Neither senile plaques nor neurofibrillary changes could be seen throughout central nervous system. The most important finding is the presence of peculiar acidophilic bodies. They are round or oval, 10 approximately 20 mu in diameter and distributed in dentate nucleus, oculomotor nucleus, central grey of midbrain, superior colliculus, putamen, pallidum, subthalamic nucleus, Zona incerta, hypothalamus, Locus coeruleus, reticular formation of midbrain and pons, pontine nucleus, raphe nucleus, vestibular nucleus, inferior olive in order of number of the bodies. These bodies are scattered in so-called ground substance, and have no relations to any cell bodies or cell processes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)