小脳 Purkinje 細胞の軸索膨大 (トルペドー) に関する形態計測的研究

特に加齢および疾患との関係について

抄録

Many arguments have been made as to whether the occurrence of torpedo (axonal swelling of the Purkinje cell) is a physiological age-related change or a pathological one. However torpedo has not been investigated by the quantitative analysis of many cases. It is the purpose of this paper to clarify whether torpedo is a physiological or pathological change, through morphometric analysis. We morphometrically-analyzed torpedoes in specimens from 47 men and 37 women aged from 29 to 92 years. Formalin-fixed sections of the cerebellum were embedded in paraffin and stained with the Bodian method. Then we counted the number of axonal torpedoes and calculated the torpedo density (number/length of the Purkinje cell layer) in aging and various diseases such as cerebral vascular diseases, hypertension, heart disease, malignancy and dementia.
The results are summarized as follows :
1. Torpedo was observed in all specimens from cases aged from 29 to 92 years.
2. However torpedo density was minimal in the specimens from patients under 60 years and it increased significantly with age, suggesting that aging is the most important factor in the formation of torpedoes.
3. Compared to age-matched controls, patients with cerebral vascular diseases had a significantly higher torpedo density, up to the age of 80. This suggests that cerebral diseases influence torpedo density.