Ultracytochemical Analysis of E-PTA-Positive Synaptic Junctions in Postmortem-Examined Brains With Neurologic Disorders

The synaptic junctions from four postmortem-examined brains were studied ultracytochemically, using the ethanolic phosphotungustic acid (E-PTA) method. A noteworthy finding was the presence of variable-shaped vesicles that were not observed in the control E-PTA-treated preparations. This structural change in synaptic junctions is thought to represent a degenerative process. It is suggested that the neuronal transmission in brains with acquired neuropathologic abnormalities may be impaired because of the degenerative change in synaptic junctions.