DISTINCTIVE, RAPID, AND EASY LABELING OF DIFFUSE PLAQUES IN THE ALZHEIMER BRAINS BY A NEW METHENAMINE SILVER STAIN

We have developed a new methenamine silver (MS) stain for detecting diffuse plaques distinctively on paraffin-embedded tissue sections of Alzheimer-type dementia, Down'n syndrome, and mentally normal aged brains. This rapid and easy method selectively labels amyloid-related component of senile plaques, but not of kuru plaques found in Gerstmann-Sträussler syndrome. Our MS stain shows almost the same staining pattern as that of the β protein immunostaining with formic acid pretreatment. Therefore, new MS stain is appropriate to routine or screening studies for senile plaques including diffuse plaques. © 1990 Springer-Verlag.