An autopsy case of progressive supranuclear palsy with severe corticospinal tract degeneration

Abstract

We report an autopsy case of a 70‐year‐old man who was clinically diagnosed with atypical progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). He initially presented with gait ataxia and then showed vertical gaze palsy, rigidity, akinesia, dysphagia, and mild cognitive impairment, followed by prominent upper motor signs later in the course of the disease. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging revealed tegmental atrophy of the midbrain. Autopsy revealed severe neuronal loss and gliosis in the motor cortex and corticospinal degeneration and mild to moderate neuronal loss and gliosis in the basal ganglia, substantia nigra, midbrain, and pons. Tufted astrocytes were primarily found in the motor cortex and basal ganglia. Globose‐type neurofibrillary tangles were observed in the locus coeruleus and nucleus olivaris inferior. In the cerebellar cortex, mild Purkinje cell loss and scattered axonal torpedoes were observed with tau‐positive Purkinje cells. The dentate nucleus displayed severe neuronal loss and gliosis. The present case showed characteristics of both PSP with prominent cerebellar ataxia (PSP‐C) and PSP‐primary lateral sclerosis (PSP‐PLS).