A case of progressive supranuclear palsy with fibrillary gliosis of the midbrain and pontine reticular formation.

An autopsy case of progressive supranuclear palsy with onset at age 53 and a clinical course of 7 years is reported. The clinico-pathological characteristics of the case were as follows: Fibrillary gliosis of the midbrain and pontine reticular formation corresponded clinically to personality changes: The patient had formerly been irascible and became extremely mild-mannered. He showed lack of spontaneity and initiative and slowing of thought processes, taking him longer than normal to find words and ideas. Gliosis of the nucleus ventralis lateralis of the thalamus was secondary to the degeneration of the cerebellar dentate nucleus and the globus pallidus from which they receive fibers. Neurofibrillary tangles were found in the cerebral cortex.