THE INCIDENCE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF LEWY BODIES IN IDIOPATHIC PARALYSIS AGITANS (PARKINSON'S DISEASE)

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Abstract
To investigate the extent to which Lewy bodies are characteristic of idiopathic paralysis agitans 15 cases of this disorder and 4 cases of postencephalitic parkinsonism were studied. Various areas of the cerebrum, cerebellum and brain stem were examined for the presence of these bodies and the cytoplasmic inclusions themselves were histochemically studied. Experimental animals were innoculated intracerebrally with syspensions of substantia nigra material from parkinsonian patients. Lewy bodies were found in the locus coeruleus and/or the substantia nigra in each of the 15 cases of parkinsonism. The inclusions stained positively for proteins containing aromatic alpha-amino-acids and negatively for nucleoproteins, lipids, mucopolysacchrides and heavy metals. The innoculation experiments were negative indicating that these inclusion bodies are not caused by viral infections. The occurrence of Lewy bodies in the sites mentioned is a specific phenomenon differentiating idiopathic paralysis agitans from postencephalitic parkinsonism and neurological disorders with parkinsonian traits.