Correlation between senile plaque and neurofibrillary tangle counts in cerebral cortex and neuronal counts in cortex and subcortical structures in Alzheimer's disease.

The quantitative relationship between the numbers of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the temporal cortex and the degree of atrophy and loss of nerve cells from this region and from cortically projecting areas such as the nucleus basalis of Meynert, locus coeruleus and raphe nucleus was investigated in 32 patients with Alzheimer's disease. Strong correlations were noted between cortical plaque and tangle counts and nerve cell atrophy and loss in all 4 areas, suggesting that the formation of plaques and tangles may be of primary pathogenic importance to the cortical and subcortical cell loss.