Neuropathology Glossary
100 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026
neuronal loss
Reduction in the number of neurons in brain tissue, a key feature of neurodegenerative diseases.
periventricular nodular heterotopia
A neuronal migration disorder characterized by clusters of ectopic neurons lining the lateral ventricles due to failed r...
Pick body
Tau-containing cytoplasmic inclusions characteristic of Pick's disease and frontotemporal dementia.
pilocytic astrocytoma
A WHO grade I astrocytic tumor characterized by bipolar cells with long hair-like processes.
psammoma body
Concentric calcified structures found in certain brain tumors, particularly meningiomas.
pseudolaminar necrosis
Selective neuronal loss in specific cortical layers following hypoxic-ischemic injury, creating false laminar patterns.
pseudopalisading
Arrangement of elongated cell nuclei around areas of necrosis, characteristic of glioblastoma.
reactive astrocyte
Activated astrocytic cell showing morphological and molecular changes in response to CNS injury or disease.
reactive gliosis
A pathological response involving proliferation and hypertrophy of glial cells following brain injury or disease.
Rosenthal fiber
Eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusions in astrocytes, characteristic of pilocytic astrocytomas and Alexander disease.
satellitosis
Clustering of glial cells around neurons, typically indicating neuronal injury or disease.
schwannoma
Benign nerve sheath tumor arising from Schwann cells, most commonly affecting cranial and peripheral nerves.
SNAP-25
Synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa, used as a presynaptic marker in neuropathological studies.
spongiform change
Characteristic vacuolar degeneration of neuropil creating a sponge-like appearance in prion diseases.
spongiform degeneration
Pattern of tissue damage creating a sponge-like appearance due to vacuole formation in neuropil.
status spongiosus
Severe vacuolar degeneration of neuropil creating a sponge-like appearance, typically seen in prion diseases.
subacute combined degeneration
Spinal cord pathology involving both posterior columns and lateral corticospinal tracts, typically associated with vitam...
subacute sclerosing panencephalitis
A progressive demyelinating disease caused by persistent measles virus infection of the CNS.
subcortical arteriosclerotic encephalopathy
Progressive white matter disease caused by chronic small vessel disease, also known as Binswanger disease.
subependymal giant cell astrocytoma
A WHO grade I tumor arising from subependymal nodules, typically associated with tuberous sclerosis.
subpial gliosis
Reactive astrocytic proliferation immediately beneath the pial surface of the brain, often indicating cortical injury.
tau protein
A microtubule-associated protein that forms pathological tangles in Alzheimer's disease and related neurodegenerative di...
TDP-43
TAR DNA-binding protein 43, a pathological protein aggregate found in frontotemporal dementia and ALS.
tigroid pattern
Distinctive striped appearance of neurons caused by prominent Nissl substance, often accentuated in certain pathological...
torpedo
Fusiform axonal swellings in Purkinje cell axons, characteristic of cerebellar pathology.