Laboratory Animals > Volume 29, Number 3 > Pp. 276-281

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The topography, structure and incidence of mineralized bodies in the basal ganglia of the brain of cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis)

P. F. Wadsworth, H. B. Jones and J. B. Cavanagh

ZENECA Pharmaceuticals, Mereside, Alderley Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4TG, UK; ZENECA Pharmaceuticals, Mereside, Alderley Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4TG, UK; Department of Neurology, Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5 8AF, UK

Whole coronal slices from 6 levels of the brain of 16 cynomolgus monkeys (8 control and 8 treated by daily gavage with a novel pharmaceutical agent for one year) were examined histologically. Mineralized bodies were identified only in coronal sections passing through the optic chiasma and mammillary bodies.

Identical mineralized structures were present in the basal ganglia of both control and treated animals. The majority were seen in the globus pallidus, occasionally in the putamen and once in the nearby caudate nucleus. These structures were partially ferruginated and also partially calcified. They appeared to arise in relation to small vessels. They are part of the naturally occurring background pathology of several species of non-human primates and the incidence in this study (3/8 control and 5/8 treated) was approximately what might be expected from reports in the literature. Mineralized bodies of the basal ganglia of primates represent a spontaneous lesion with a characteristic distribution. They may cause confusion in interpretation of toxicological studies if their natural occurrence is not appreciated.

Key Words: BRAIN • MINERALIZED BODIES • MONKEY DISEASES

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