Locus coeruleus in dementing disorders

The brain stem noradrenergic nucleus locus coeruleus is differentially targeted in different neurodegenerative disorders with dementia. The project covers a variety of disorders and the microscopical evaluation with quantitation of neurons and assessment of degeneration by scoring with a developed grading system. The degree of degeneration is compared with type of protein pathology, with type of dementing disorder and also with macroscopical evaluation. The findings are guiding the neuropathologic diagnostic work-up post mortem and may be correlated with in vivo magnetic resonance imaging.

Degeneration of the brain stem cell nerve cell group locus coeruleus is different in different dementing disorders. This may be used for diagnosticing post mortem and further translated to magnetic resonance imaging for a diagnostic assessment in the clinical course of dementia.