Intraneuronal Co-Localization of Silicon with Calcium and Aluminum in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Parkinsonism with Dementia of Guam

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Abstract
To the Editor: We report the correlation of silicon with calcium and aluminum in hippocampal neurons bearing neurofibrillary tangles in Guamanian patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and parkinsonism with dementia, with use of a computer-driven electron-beam x-ray microprobe with wavelength-dispersive spectrometry. These findings extend our earlier studies, which have indicated that these elements are involved in the pathogenesis of these fatal neurodegenerative disorders on Guam.1 , 2 We studied brain tissues from five Guamanian Chamorros with parkinsonism with dementia and two with ALS and from four controls (two Chamorros and two whites), collected aseptically with polyethylene and stainless-steel instruments within 16 . . .