title: Serum histamine in Alzheimer's disease and multi-infarct dementia.
abstract: Recent data indicate that a neuroimmune reaction might be responsible in part for neuronal death and cognitive deterioration in senile dementia. The potential involvement of brain histamine (HA) and interleukin-1 (IL-1) in this process has been previously documented. We have studied the concentration of serum HA in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) or multi-infarct dementia (MID) and in age-matched control subjects. Serum HA levels were significantly higher in AD (10.935 +/- 5.692 nM) and MID (8.521 +/- 3.44 nM) than in controls (5.533 +/- 2.567 nM) and correlated with mental performance as evaluated with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) (r = +0.493, p < 0.009). No correlation was found with cardiovascular parameters, cerebrovascular risk factors or age. Hyperactivation of the histaminergic system in AD at central and peripheral levels might reflect a neuroimmune reaction to brain tissue damage, a neurotrophic response, and/or a reactive process to regulate the IL-1 induced amyloid precursor protein (APP) overproduction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Physiology, Complutense University Medical School, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cacabelos
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fernández-Novoa
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pérez-Trullén
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Franco-Maside
authors.forename: X A
authors.initials: XA
authors.lastname: Alvarez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000523:psychology; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D015161:Dementia, Multi-Infarct / Q000097:blood* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006632:Histamine / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D006632:Histamine