Hypothesis: Interference with Axonal Transport of Neurofilament as a Common Pathogenetic Mechanism in Certain Diseases of the Central Nervous System

Abstract

The cytoskeletons of all cells contain three ultrastructurally distinct elements made of fibrous macromolecules: microtubules 24 nm in diameter, intermediate filaments 10 nm in diameter, and microfilaments about 5 nm in diameter and composed of polymerized actin. The neuronal intermediate filaments, also termed neurofilaments, are antigenically distinct from the intermediate filaments found in other cells, even in the central nervous system, and are found in restricted stable parts of the perikaryon and in axons.^{1 2 3 4 5} Although they are accepted as a structural support system, they have long been thought to be involved in axonal transport as well.Neurofilaments are argyrophilic and . . .