Parvalbumin‐immunoreactive cortical neurons in Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease

Abstract

Massive abnormalities of parvalbumin‐immunoreactive cortical neurons were observed in the cerebral biopsy samples of 3 patients with Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease. Immunoreactive cells had reduced and short, often fragmented, dendrites, and large numbers of dendritic varicosities were observed. Since parvalbumin‐immunoreactive neurons are the most important inhibitory cells in the cerebral cortex, the damage to these neurons may account, in part, for the impaired cortical function, and may play a role in the appearance of myoclonus and electroencephalographic patterns in patients with Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease.