Neurofibrillary tangles in the cerebral cortex of sheep

Peter T. Nelson, Sharon G. Greenberg, Clifford B. Saper

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

77 Scopus citations

Abstract

Neurofibrillary degeneration, including neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and neuritic plaques, is an important pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Unfortunately, no practical animal model of neurofibrillary degeneration has been described. We report here the presence of structures in the cerebral cortex of sheep, Ovis aries, that resemble Alzheimer NFTs and neuritic plaques. NFT-like structures and clusters of degenerating neurites are stained by silver impregnation and thioflavin-S, and are immunoreactive with antibodies against tau microtubule-associated proteins. Viewed under the electron microscope, tau-immunoreactive tangles consist of paired helical filaments. Naturally occurring neurofibrillary structures in sheep cortex provide a model for studying the pathobiology of Alzheimer's disease.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)187-190
Number of pages4
JournalNeuroscience Letters
Volume170
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 28 1994

Keywords

  • Alzheimer's disease
  • Amyloid
  • Animal model
  • Neurofibrillary tangle
  • Paired helical filament
  • Plaque
  • Sheep
  • Tau

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience

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