Histochemical studies in atherogenesis. Human cerebral arteries.

THE HISTOLOGY and histochemistry of cerebral arteries have been subject to only a few investigations. Duff, Forbus, Glynn, and Carmichaelhave stressed the importance of the integrity of the internal elastic membrane. Wolkoff studied the relationship between the elastic elements and ground substance components in cerebral arteries. He noted that lipid was occasionally seen between the reduplications of the internal elastic membrane. Binswanger and Schaxiel" studied cerebral arteries of infants, of individuals 30 to 40 years of age, and 60 to 70 years of age. Changes in these arteries with aging were reported. Hackel has also reported on changes in cerebral arteries with aging. However, both these reports gave only a superficial survey of the structure of the cerebral arteries at different ages and contained nothing concerning the relation among the acid mucopolysaccharides and/or lipid, and/or elastic tissue. The relation between acid mucopolysaccharides and lipids in the early pathology of coronary and aortic atherosclerosis has long been controversial. The lack of good methods for study of these components has caused much of the controversy of past years."