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Size frequency distribution of the β-amyloid (aβ) deposits in dementia with Lewy bodies with associated Alzheimer’s disease pathology

Neurological Sciences volume 30, pages 471–477 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

The objective is to study β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology (DLB/AD). The size frequency distributions of the Aβ deposits were studied and fitted by log-normal and power-law models. Patients were ten clinically and pathologically diagnosed DLB/AD cases. Size distributions had a single peak and were positively skewed and similar to those described in AD and Down’s syndrome. Size distributions had smaller means in DLB/AD than in AD. Log-normal and power-law models were fitted to the size distributions of the classic and diffuse deposits, respectively. Size distributions of Aβ deposits were similar in DLB/AD and AD. Size distributions of the diffuse deposits were fitted by a power-law model suggesting that aggregation/disaggregation of Aβ was the predominant factor, whereas the classic deposits were fitted by a log-normal distribution suggesting that surface diffusion was important in the pathogenesis of the classic deposits.

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Acknowledgments

The assistance of the Brain Bank, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, UK, in providing tissue sections for this study is gratefully acknowledged. We would like to thank Mr Andrew Chadwick and Mrs Mavis Kibble for their excellent technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vision Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK

    Richard A. Armstrong

  2. Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA

    Nigel J. Cairns

  3. Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA

    Nigel J. Cairns

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  1. Richard A. Armstrong
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Correspondence to Richard A. Armstrong.

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Armstrong, R.A., Cairns, N.J. Size frequency distribution of the β-amyloid (aβ) deposits in dementia with Lewy bodies with associated Alzheimer’s disease pathology. Neurol Sci 30, 471–477 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-009-0135-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-009-0135-6

Keywords

  • Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB)
  • Alzheimer’s disease (AD)
  • β-Amyloid (Aβ) deposits
  • Size frequency distributions
  • Log-normal model
  • Power-law model