Neuropathological post-mortem examination of the brain and the spinal cord in ten key points - What can a neurologist expect from the neuropathologist's confirmation of the clinical diagnosis in neurodegenerative diseases?
Abstract
Standardized brain and spinal cord autopsy is a key feedback mechanism for clinical diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases. Clinical diagnostic criteria in neurodegenerative disorders reach the "pos sible" and "probable" levels.
Neuropathological brain examination is often the only diagnostic modality able to confirm the "defi nite" level of diagnosis in dementia, behavior disorders and movement disorders and thus serves as an invaluable feedback for the clinician; and in clinical studies, it is used to assess therapy-related changes and validate potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. The brain and spinal cord autopsy is performed following a standardized protocol analyzing all diagnostically relevant structures.
Precise diagnostic procedures are performed using standard and special histological and histochemical staining; however, only a standardized set of special immunohistochemical investigations can confirm the precise neuropathological diagnosis in neurodegenerative diseases. The purpose of the article is to provide clinical neurologists in 10 points with a brief and practical overview about the usefulness of brain and spinal cord autopsy in neurodegenerative disease and about what the clinician can expect from the neuropathological protocol