MORPHOMETRIC AND SOME HISTOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CORPORA AMYLACEA IN HUMAN ENTORHINAL AREA DURING THE PROCESS OF AGING

Abstract

Corpora amylacea are calcified structures which are more frequently present in the brain of the healthy elderly subjects, as well as in the brain of the neurodegenerative diseases patients. The material was human entorhinal area tissue, which originate from the 30 cadavers which age range from 20 to 82 years. They are classified into three age groups: I (from 20 to 44), II (from 45 to 69) and III (70 years and older). Tissue was processed with standard histologic procedure. Then, it was cut into 10 mm thick sections which were stained with HE, PAS, AB PAS and Mallory’s trichrome connective tissue stain. After that they were analyzed with light microscope. Morphometric analysis was performed by astereologic method. The B100 double square lattice test system was used. Corpora amylacea were blue colored on HE stained sections. They were PAS and AB PAS positive structures. On Mallory’s trichrome connective tissue stained sections they were green colored. Corpora amylacea were localized beneath the pia mater, in the outer part of the cortical molecular layer, and in the sub cortical white matter, around the blood vessels. They were not detected in cortical layers with granular and pyramidal cells. Corpora amylacea have regularly round or oval shape. During the human aging, we detected the increase of their size, without significant change of their shape. This confirms the average area and diameter significant increase during the aging. Corpora amylacea conglomerated during the human aging especially beneath the pia mater and in subcortical white matter around the blood vessels. In these formations, some corpora amylacea were in close contact, but their fusion wasn’t detected.

Keywords

• entorhinal area
• corpora amylacea
• aging
• morphometric analysis