有機水銀中毒症の中枢神経系における加齢性変化—神経原線維変化と老人斑

The Aging of Central Nervous System in Methylmercury Intoxication in Niigata, Japan : Quantitative Investigation of Neurofibrillary Tangles and Senile Plaques

　ヒト有機水銀中毒症（本症）大脳における，暴露後相当長期間経過後の加齢性変化を知る目的から，新潟県阿賀野川流域で発症され，臨床病理学的に本症と診断された16例と，対照12例を用いて，側頭葉および後頭葉における神経原線維変化と老人斑を，抗tau蛋白，抗β—peptide免疫染色標本を用いて定量的に検討した。結果は，少なくとも有機水銀暴露後17年，または86歳までの観察で，大脳側頭葉および後頭葉における神経原線維変化と老人斑の数には，対照例と比較して有意な差が認められなかった。

In order to elucidate the progression of aging process in the brains of methylmercury intoxication in humans, neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) and senile plaques (SP) were examined quantitatively in the temporal lobe and calcarine cortex of 16 patients with methylmercury intoxication and 12 control subjects by using tau and β-peptide immunostained preparations.

The numbers of NFT and SP in the patients of methylmercury intoxication were almost equal to those in control subjects, and statistically there is no significant difference. The findings indicate that the methylmercury intoxication in humans does not induce or exacerbate the NFT or SP forming dis-ease process at least in these regions in the brain.