Free sterols in senile human brain.

Autopsy material of 18 patients, who died between 66-86 years of age and of 4 ones, who died between 20 and 38 years of age was investigated. The white matter of frontal lobe, corpus callosum and cerebellum was studied using histological and biochemical methods. According to the results of neuropathological studies, the material of aged patients was divided into two subgroups: patients with vascular changes only and brains with senile atrophy of Alzheimer type. Chemical changes in all aging brain regions studied included higher proportion of desmosterol and differences in the pattern of cholesterol isomers. These findings are interpreted as suggesting some chemical transformations of cellular membranes in the cerebral white matter of the aging. The above mentioned changes were almost identical despite presence of the signs of Alzheimer's type senile atrophy, therefore it is not possible to explain their significance in developing of dementia process.