page_title: Corpora amylacea
hierarchical_section_title: Corpora amylacea
caption_attribution_description: English: High magnification micrograph of corpora amylacea, a benign finding in prostatic glands. H&amp;E stain. Prostatectomy specimen. Related images High mag. Intermed. mag. Low mag.
context_page_description: Corpora amylacea is a general term for small hyaline masses found in the prostate gland, nervous system, lung, and sometimes in other organs of the body. Corpora amylacea increase in number and size with advancing age, although this increase varies from person to person. In the nervous system, they are particularly abundant in certain neurodegenerative diseases. While their significance is largely unknown, some researchers have suggested that corpora amylacea play a role in the clearance of debris.
  The composition and appearance of corpora amylacea can differ in different organs. In the prostate gland, where they are also known as prostatic concretions, corpora amylacea are rich in aggregated protein that has many of the features of amyloid, whereas those in the central nervous system are generally smaller and do not contain amyloid. Corpora amylacea in the central nervous system occur in the foot processes of astrocytes, and they are usually present beneath the pia mater, in the tissues surrounding the ventricles, and around blood vessels.
context_section_description: Corpora amylacea (CA) (from the Latin meaning "starch-like bodies") is a general term for small hyaline masses found in the prostate gland, nervous system, lung, and sometimes in other organs of the body.  Corpora amylacea increase in number and size with advancing age, although this increase varies from person to person. In the nervous system, they are particularly abundant in certain neurodegenerative diseases. While their significance is largely unknown, some researchers have suggested that corpora amylacea play a role in the clearance of debris.
  The composition and appearance of corpora amylacea can differ in different organs.  In the prostate gland, where they are also known as prostatic concretions, corpora amylacea are rich in aggregated protein that has many of the features of amyloid, whereas those in the central nervous system are generally smaller and do not contain amyloid. Corpora amylacea in the central nervous system occur in the foot processes of astrocytes, and they are usually present beneath the pia mater, in the tissues surrounding the ventricles, and around blood vessels. They have been proposed to be part of a family of polyglucosan diseases, in which polymers of glucose collect to form abnormal structures known as polyglucosan bodies. Polyglucosan bodies bearing at least partial resemblance to human corpora amylacea have been observed in various nonhuman species.
caption: Micrograph of corpora amylacea in benign prostatic glands. H&E stain.
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XSi", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image DateTime": "2011:01:03 14:38:31", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image ExifOffset": "192", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "9118", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "9398", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/40", "EXIF FNumber": "0", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Aperture Priority", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "800", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2010:06:25 10:01:32", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2010:06:25 10:01:32", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "43/8", "EXIF ApertureValue": "2147483648", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Spot", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "0", "EXIF SubSecTime": "37", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "37", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "37", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "4272", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2848", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "8994", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "2136000/439", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "356000/73", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard"}