Huntington disease: normal lipid composition of purified neuronal perikarya and whole cortex
Norton, W.T.; Iqbal, K.; Tiffany, C.; Tellez-Nagel, I.
Neurology 28(8): 812-816
1978
ISSN/ISBN: 0028-3878 PMID: 150551 Document Number: 136817
This is the 1st report of the lipid composition of human neurons. Neuronal perikarya were isolated from frozen autopsy samples of the cerebral cortex of 2 persons with Huntington disease and 2 normal controls. These were analyzed for total lipid, individual lipids and gangliosides. No differences were detected between diseased and normal cells. In addition, gray matter samples from the same patients, and 1 additional patient and control sample were analyzed and found not to differ. Thus, the ultrastructural abnormalities seen in cortical biopsies are not reflected in the concentration of the major lipid classes.