Disturbance of vertical saccadesis a cardinal feature of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). We investigated whether the amplitude and peak velocity of saccades is affected by the orbital position fromwhich movements start in PSP patients and age-matched control subjects. Subjects made vertical saccades in response to ± 5 degree vertical target jumps with their heads in one of three positions: head “center,” head pitched forward ~15 degrees, and head pitched back ~ 15 degrees.All patients showed some effect of starting eye position, whether beginning in the upward or downward field of gaze, on saccade amplitude, peak velocity (PV), and net range of movement. Generally, reduction of amplitude and PV were commensurate and bidirectional in the affected hemifield of gaze. Such findings are unlikelyto be due to orbital factors and could be explained by varying degrees of involvement of rostral midbrain nucleiin the pathological process.

Retention of bile acids within the liver is a primary factor in the pathogenesis of cholestatic liver disorders, which are more common in human infants. The objective of this study was to evaluate developmental changes in mitochondrial factors involved in bile acid-induced hepatocyte injury. Hepatic mitochondria from adult rats (aged 9 weeks) underwent a mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) and release of cytochrome c upon exposure to glycochenodeoxycholic acid (GCDC). In contrast, mitochondria from young rats (age 6–36 days) were resistant to MPT induction and cytochrome c release. Neither mitochondrial levels of MPT-associated proteins (voltage-dependent anion channel, cyclophilin D, or adenine nucleotide translocase), Bcl-2 family proteins, nor antioxidant enzymes explained this resistance. Mitochondria from young rats contained 2–3-fold higher α-tocopherol (α-TH). In vivo α-TH enrichment of adult hepatic mitochondria increased their MPT resistance. Tetra-linoleoyl cardiolipin (TL-CL), the primary molecular species of cardiolipin (CL), was reduced in mitochondria of the young rat; however, enrichment with CL and TL-CL only modestly increased their MPT susceptibility. In conclusion, we observed an unexpected resistance in young rats to bile acid induction of mitochondrial cell death pathways, which may be related to developmental differences in membrane composition.