Ultrastructural changes of neurons in dependence on the death cause in human brain.

Autolytic changes in animal neurons 3 hours postmortem were compared with the changes in human material taken from the patients with ischemic heart disease. Relatively homogenous neuroplasm in the animal material was observed and the nuclei and nucleoli were present as well. Light artificial spaces were visible around the neurons. Marked vacuolization was in all cases of the human material. In some cases the nucleus with the nucleolus and mitochondria were still preserved. Majority of the neurons did not reveal the nucleolus and chromatin in their nuclei; destruction of the organelles and homogenization of the neuroplasm were dominant. We assume that the specific changes in the brain caused by the ischemic heart disease are different in comparison with the autolytic postmortal changes.