Microscopic Globular Bodies in the Human Brain

Abstract

Microscopic globular bodies (MGB) in the neuropil of gray matter are different from other previously reported structures such as corpora amylacea, axonal spheroids and Hirano bodies. They are brilliantly eosinophilic with the hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain, measure 1-10 microns in diameter, and are seen in the neuropil of the gray matter, chiefly in the cerebral cortex. Ultrastructurally, MGB are osmiophilic and globular, and located within a cytoplasmic process. They are homogeneous, finely granular, and surrounded by a ruffled membrane. The processes in which MGB are found, contain a few organelles or may be empty. Synaptic junctions are often present on the cytoplasmic process containing MGB. Quantitative studies of MGB reveal a striking correlation with age. Compared with controls, MGB are fewer in number in neurological disorders with mental retardation or dementia. Microscopic globular bodies (MGB) are similar to the dense microspheres described by Averback and have been previously reported by the author as eosinophilic globular bodies. The present study discloses some features of MGB to be similar to the bodies described by Averback, although there are some discrepancies in the reported staining reactions and in the interpretation that these bodies have some relationship to senile plaques. In the few animals studied (five rats, one pig and one monkey) MGB were found only in the pig.