Some immunohistochemical techniques currently available to assist in diagnostic problems in neurodegenerative disorders and trauma
| Antibody | Molecular specificity | Diagnostic use |
|---|---|---|
| Amyloid precursor protein | A transmembrane precursor protein which, when mutated, can cause a familial form of Alzheimer's disease | Identification of axoplasmic bulbs |
| βA4 amyloid | An extracellular filamentous protein that forms part of the core of amyloid and neuritic plaques | Neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia, Down's syndrome, amyloidosis, and the Guam-Parkinson dementia complex |
| Tau protein | A microtubule associated protein | Neurodegenerative disorders. Particularly useful in the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, which is characterised by an abundance of neurofibrillary tangles, neuropil threads, and abnormal neurites |
| Ubiquitin | A polypeptide of ∼ 8.5 kDa found in filamentous inclusions and cytosome related organelles in neurodegenerative diseases | Neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease, Pick's disease, Lewy body dementia, and Parkinson's disease |
| αβ Crystallin | A lens protein that has some homology with the small heat shock proteins | Detection of “swollen neurones” in non-Alzheimer's dementia, and in the diagnosis of corticobasal degeneration |