The central histminergic system in normal controls and patients with neurodegenerative disorders

利用单胺氧化酶（MAO）的组织化学方法，我们证实了人类下丘脑中含有MAO的神经元的地形分布。在人类下丘脑中，含有mao的神经元大多为大细胞型。它们位于人类下丘脑尾部三分之二的区域。根据地形分布和形态外观的相似性判断，这些含有mao的神经元似乎与该区域的组胺能神经元对应（Nakamura et al., Neuroscience, 1991; Panula et al., Neuroscience, 1991）。通过比较人类下丘脑中含有mao的神经元的地形图和nissl染色的石蜡切片，我们在阿尔茨海默病（AD）患者和正常对照的nissl染色切片中定位了假定的TM组胺能神经元（Nakamura等人，neurosciet . lett）。, 1993)。我们发现在阿尔茨海默病患者的大尺寸神经元中经常出现神经原纤维缠结。此外，阿尔茨海默病TM大尺寸神经元的数量少于年龄匹配的对照组。这些结果提示中枢组胺能系统参与了AD的发生。为了确定中枢组胺能系统在其他神经退行性疾病中的可能参与，我们采用类似的定量方法检测了帕金森病（PD）和多系统萎缩（MSA）的TM。与AD相比，PD患者TM的神经元数量与年龄匹配的对照组相比没有改变（Nakamura et al., can . j . neural . sci . supl .）。4, 1993)。因此，我们认为PD中保留了中枢组胺系统。然而，与年龄匹配的对照组相比，MSA TM中的大神经元数量减少。中枢组织胺能系统已被证明与睡眠-觉醒周期的调节有关。因此，本研究发现的组胺能神经元参与AD和MSA可能是这两种疾病中经常观察到的睡眠-觉醒距离的解剖学基础。少

Using monoamine oxidase (MAO) histochemistry, we have demonstrated the topographical distributions of MAO-containing neurons in the human hyopothalamus. In the human hypothalamus, MAO-containing neurons were mostly of a magnocellular type. They were located in the caudal two-thirds of the human hypothalamus. These MAO-containing neurons appeared to correspond to the histaminergic neurons in this region, judging based on the similarities of the topographical distributions and morphological apearances (Nakamura et al., Neuroscience, 1991 ; Panula et al., Neuroscience, 1991). A omparison of topographic maps of MAO-containing neruons in the human hypothalamus and Nissl-stained paraffin sections made us to localize the presumptive histaminergic neurons of TM in Nissl-stained sections of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and normal controls (Nakamura et al., Neurosci.Lett., 1993). We found the frequent occurrences of neruofibrillary tangles in the large-sized neurons in TM of patients w … More ith AD.In addition, the number of large-sized neurons in TM of AD was smaller than that of age-matched controls. These results suggested that the central histaminergic system is involved in AD.To determine the possible involvements of the central histaminergic system in other neurodegenerative diseases, we examined TM of Parkinson's disease (PD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA) by the similar quantitative method. In contrast of AD, the neuron number of TM of PD was not altered compared to age-matched controls (Nakamura et al., Can.J.Neurol.Sci.Suppl.4, 1993). Thus, it is suggested that the central histaminergic system is preserved in PD.However, the number of large neruons in TM of MSA was decreased compared to age-matched controls.The central histaminergic system has been shown to be associated with the regulation of the sleep-wake cycle. Therefore, the involvements of histaminergic neurons in AD and MSA found in the present stuies may be an anatomical basis for the sleep-wake distubances frequently observed in the diseases. Less