Structural plasticity of synapses in Alzheimer's disease.

Plasticity of the synaptic contact zone was previously observed following loss of synapses in the cerebral cortex of normal aging humans. The present study was undertaken to determine if there was quantitative evidence of synapse loss and synapse plasticity in the inferior temporal, superior parietal, parieto-occipital, and superior frontal cortical regions in Alzheimer's disease (AD), and how such changes related to the neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques. The results showed that age at autopsy did not correlate with the numbers of synapses, plaques, or tangles. However, the numbers of synapses strongly reflected the pathology of AD; in all four brain regions, there were fewer synapses as the numbers of plaques and tangles increased. In the inferior temporal and superior parietal cortices, the loss of synapses was accompanied by an increase in the synaptic contact length. The results suggest that, in some cerebral cortical brain regions, synapses are capable of plasticity changes, even when the pathology of AD and loss of synapses are severe.