Cited by 2,990Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration MechanismsParkinson's Disease Mechanisms and TreatmentsAlzheimer's disease research and treatments

Reactive microglia are positive for HLA‐DR in the substantia nigra of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease brains

McGeer, P. L., Itagaki, S., Boyes, B. E., McGeer, E. G.·1988·Neurology

Abstract

We detected large numbers of HLA-DR-positive reactive microglia (macrophages), along with Lewy bodies and free melanin, in the substantia nigra of all cases studied with Parkinson's disease (5) and parkinsonism with dementia (PD) (5). We found similar, but less extensive, pathology in the substantia nigra of six of nine cases of dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) but in only one of 11 age-matched nonneurologic cases. All dementia cases with a premortem diagnosis of DAT or PD showed large numbers of HLA-DR-positive reactive microglia and significant plaque and tangle counts in the hippocampus, as well as reduced cortical choline acetyltransferase activity. One of 11 nondemented controls showed mild evidence of similar cortical pathology. These data indicate that HLA-DR-positive reactive microglia are a sensitive index of neuropathologic activity. They suggest a frequent coexistence of DAT- and Parkinson-type pathology in elderly patients.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1212/wnl.38.8.1285

Cites

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

This paper’s full text isn’t openly available, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Reactive microglia expressing HLA-DR are present in the substantia nigra pars compacta of human post mortem Parkinson's disease brain tissue.

    “Early evidence revealed the presence of reactive microglia expressing Histocompatibility Leukocyte Antigen DR-Isotype (HLA-DR) in the SNpc of human post mortem brain tissue [6].”
  • Reactive microglia expressing HLA-DR are abundant in the substantia nigra of PD patients.

    “Reactive microglia expressing HLA-DR are abundant in the substantia nigra of PD patients60.”

    From Microglia in neurodegeneration (2018) · cites this paper as [60]

  • Reactive microglia were first observed in the substantia nigra of postmortem brain tissue from PD patients in 1988.

    “In 1988, reactive microglia were first observed in the substantia nigra (SN) of postmortem brain tissue from PD patients.”
  • Intense microgliosis around extraneuronal neuromelanin released by dying neurons has been identified in the substantia nigra of patients with Parkinson's disease.

    “Intense microgliosis around extraneuronal neuromelanin (released by dying neurons) has been identified in the substantia nigra of patients with Parkinson’s disease.125,126”

Cites

Still being checked.

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
McGeer, P. L., Itagaki, S., Boyes, B. E., & McGeer, E. G.
Affiliations
University of British Columbia (CA)
Venue
Neurology
Published
1988-08
Volume
38
Issue
8
Pages
1285-1285
ISSN
  • 0028-3878 (ISSN-L)
  • 1526-632X
OpenAlex
W1974924674
Cited by
2,990
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 98 · 2025: 130 · 2024: 148 · 2023: 148 · 2022: 175 · 2021: 159 · 2020: 159 · 2019: 129 · 2018: 131 · 2017: 93 · 2016: 108 · 2015: 111 · 2014: 120 · 2013: 116 · 2012: 127
FWCI
10.67
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Neurology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and Treatments
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
Keywords
reactive microglia, HLA-DR, substantia nigra, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Lewy bodies, melanin, amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, choline acetyltransferase, hippocampus
MeSH terms
Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Alzheimer Disease, Brain Chemistry, Dementia, Female, HLA-D Antigens, HLA-DR Antigens, Humans, Male, Melanins, Middle Aged, Neuroglia, Parkinson Disease, Substantia Nigra

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review