Lipofuscin in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
G. B. McHolm, M. J. Aguilar and F. H. Norris
Lipofuscin has been reported to accumulate in abnormal amounts in motor
neurons of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Microdensitometry was used to quantitate such lipid masses in spinal motor
neurons in normal subjects compared with spinal motor neurons in ALS cases.
No overall difference in lipofuscin level was found between the normal and
the ALS material. Some neurons of intermediate size did show increased
amounts of lipofuscin, which is attributed to shrinkage during degeneration
by larger cells having proportionately more lipofuscin originally.
