In situ analysis of neostriatal RNA and chromatin in Alzheimer's disease.

Scanning-integrating microdensitometry of azure B-RNA- and Feulgen-Schiff-stained tissue sections was used to measure neostriatal neuronal RNA levels and susceptibility of neuronal and oligodendrocyte chromatin to acid hydrolysis in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and controls. AD was associated with neuronal RNA depletion (17 to 23%) in both caudate nucleus and putamen. While neuronal chromatin was found to be more acid-labile than that of the oligodendrocytes, there were no differences in either cell type between AD and controls. These data support the existence of a macromolecular disturbance (RNA loss) occurring within neostriatal neurons, perhaps related to the extrapyramidal dysfunction of AD, but fail to demonstrate that an alteration in chromatin is responsible for this effect.