Definite confirmation of Parkinson disease on autopsy is the presence of Lewy bodies in which location?

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Multiple Choice

Definite confirmation of Parkinson disease on autopsy is the presence of Lewy bodies in which location?

Definite confirmation of Parkinson disease on autopsy comes from finding Lewy bodies in the substantia nigra. These Lewy bodies are abnormal intracellular inclusions, rich in alpha-synuclein, that accumulate in the dopaminergic neurons of the nigrostriatal pathway. When Lewy bodies populate the substantia nigra pars compacta, the nearby loss of dopamine neurons leads to the classic motor symptoms of Parkinson disease, such as tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia. Lewy bodies in other locations tell a different story: cortical Lewy bodies are more associated with dementia with Lewy bodies, and Lewy bodies in peripheral nerves are not diagnostic for PD. So the key diagnostic hallmark on autopsy is Lewy bodies in the substantia nigra.

Definite confirmation of Parkinson disease on autopsy comes from finding Lewy bodies in the substantia nigra. These Lewy bodies are abnormal intracellular inclusions, rich in alpha-synuclein, that accumulate in the dopaminergic neurons of the nigrostriatal pathway. When Lewy bodies populate the substantia nigra pars compacta, the nearby loss of dopamine neurons leads to the classic motor symptoms of Parkinson disease, such as tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia.

Lewy bodies in other locations tell a different story: cortical Lewy bodies are more associated with dementia with Lewy bodies, and Lewy bodies in peripheral nerves are not diagnostic for PD. So the key diagnostic hallmark on autopsy is Lewy bodies in the substantia nigra.

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