A laser microprobe mass analysis of brain aluminum and iron in dementia pugilistica: comparison with Alzheimer's disease.

We report a laser microprobe mass analysis of aluminum and iron content in the hippocampus and in the inferior temporal cortex in 2 cases of dementia pugilistica (DP), 4 cases of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 3 controls. There was a predominant accumulation of Al and Fe within neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) in both DP and AD cases. High levels of Al and Fe were also detected in the nuclei of NFT-free and NFT-containing neurons, as well as in neuropil probe sites in these cases. In both regions, NFT contained substantially higher levels of Al and Fe in DP compared to AD cases. These findings suggest the existence of an association between the deposition of Al and Fe and NFT formation, and support the possibility of a global dysregulation of Al and Fe transport in DP and AD.