Clinicopathological features of progressive supranuclear palsy with asymmetrical atrophy of the superior cerebellar peduncle

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) can be diagnosed despite the presence of asymmetrical parkinsonism depending on the clinical diagnostic criteria. Some studies have reported that atrophy of the superior cerebellar peduncle (SCP) is more frequent in PSP than in Parkinson's disease. There have also been reports of PSP cases with an asymmetrically atrophic SCP. Therefore, we analyzed 48 specimens from consecutive autopsy cases that were neuropathologically diagnosed as PSP to investigate the laterality of brain lesions, including the SCP. We measured the width of the SCP and evaluated the laterality of atrophy. We semi-quantitatively evaluated neuronal loss, atrophy/myelin pallor, and tau pathology in three steps. Asymmetrical atrophy of the SCP was present in seven (14.6%) of 48 cases. The atrophic side of the SCP corresponded to the dominant side of the tau pathology in the cerebellar dentate nucleus. It was opposite to the dominant side of the myelin pallor and tau pathology in the red nucleus and of the tau pathology in the central tegmental tract and inferior olivary nucleus, coinciding with the neurologically systematic anatomy of the Guillain-Mollaret triangle. Neurodegeneration of PSP can progress asymmetrically from one side to the initially intact side in PSP with an initial predominance of Richardson's syndrome, progressive gait freezing, ocular motor dysfunction, parkinsonism, or corticobasal syndrome. To our knowledge, no previous study has reported asymmetrical PSP neuropathology; this is the first study to report the presence of PSP cases with asymmetrical SCP atrophy and systematically asymmetrical degeneration of the Guillain-Mollaret triangle.

Automated summary

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) can be diagnosed despite asymmetrical parkinsonism, and atrophy of the superior cerebellar peduncle (SCP) is more frequent in PSP than in Parkinson's disease. This study investigated the laterality of brain lesions, including SCP, in 48 PSP autopsy cases. Asymmetrical SCP atrophy was found in 14.6% of the cases, and the atrophic side of the SCP corresponded to the dominant side of tau pathology in the cerebellar dentate nucleus. This study is the first to report the presence of asymmetrical SCP atrophy and systematically asymmetrical degeneration of the Guillain-Mollaret triangle in PSP cases.