Theodor Meynert (1833-1892), pioneer and visionary of brain research.

Theodor Meynert (1833-1892) was the first scientist to perceive brain research as an interdisciplinary project, documented by his own fundamental contributions as a selfstanding enterprise and presented with comprehensive objectives of research. Meynert was born in Dresden and lived in Vienna from the age of 8. In a steep career, he reached high professional recognition: Aged 37, he took charge of the management of the 1st Psychiatric Clinic, established especially for him; he exerted competent influence in the so-called 2nd Viennese School of Medicine and at international level.

Neuropathology and genetics of Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease.

The recent history of Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease (PMD) demonstrates paradigmatically the impact of basic biological research on clinical neurology and brain pathology: this rare and peculiar hereditary disease has become one of the best known disorders of its kind, through a cooperative research effort in neuropathology, human genetics, neurochemistry and molecular biology. PMD, a genetic dysmyelination restricted to the CNS, has been identified as a disease that involves the X chromosome-linked gene for myelin proteolipid protein (PLP), a major structural myelin component. Today more than 30 different mutations in this gene have been defined and associated with PMD or the clinically distinct form X-linked spastic paraplegia type-2 (SPG-2).

[Neuropathology in the neurosciences. A system in transition].

Neuropathology (Np) is a full member of the neurosciences. As a basic neuroscience it is directed to the behaviour of nervous tissues under pathogenic conditions. The theoretical and methodical core of Np concerns the morphological features of pathological disorders and processes of the nervous system.

Synaptic pathology in Alzheimer's disease: immunological data for markers of synaptic and large dense-core vesicles.

We have analysed several markers for small synaptic vesicles (synaptin-synaptophysin, p65 and SV2) and large dense-core vesicles (chromogranin A, secretogranin II/chromogranin C) in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease, and normal controls by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. In comparison to age-matched controls the levels of all three synaptic vesicle markers were decreased in temporal cortex of Alzheimer patients. On the other hand, the levels of chromogranin A were increased, and those of secretogranin II lowered.