Subcellular Pathology of Human Neurodegenerative Disorders: Alzheimer‐Type Dementia and Huntington's Disease

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Abstract
Activities of enzyme markers of subcellular organelles have been measured in brain tissue from subjects with Alzheimer-type dementia (ATD) and Huntington''s disease (HD). Significant increases in the activity of the lysosomal enzyme .beta.-glucuronidase were observed in both ATD temporal cortex and HD putamen. It is suggested that .beta.-glucuronidase activity may be a useful biochemical indicator of cellular damage in the CNS. A significant reduction in neutral .alpha.-glucosidase activity was observed in ATD temporal cortex and HD putamen. This change may reflect an alteration in glycoconjugate processing and may relate to the susceptibility of neurones to the degenerative processes of ATD and HD.