title: Cerebrospinal fluid norepinephrine, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol and neuropeptide Y levels in Parkinson's disease, multiple system atrophy and dementia of the Alzheimer type.
abstract: Neuropeptide Y, one of the most abundant polypeptides within the nervous system, is co-stored with catecholamines, especially norepinephrine (NE), thus suggesting its possible involvement in pathologies characterized by a noradrenergic impairment. In Parkinson's disease (PD), as well as in multiple system atrophy (MSA), a central noradrenergic deficit has been demonstrated, and in the dementia of Alzheimer type (DAT) an impaired noradrenergic transmission has been postulated. In this study we determined CSF NE and MHPG levels in 29 PD, 15 MSA, 22 DAT patients and in 36 controls, while CSF NPY-immunoreactivity (NPY-ir) levels were measured in 10 PD, 7 MSA, 10 DAT patients and 20 controls. PD, MSA, and DAT patients showed a significant reduction in CSF NPY-ir and NE levels compared with controls, while CSF MHPG levels resulted in a reduction in only the MSA group. Furthermore, an inverse correlation between either NE or MHPG levels and the duration of the orthostatic hypotension was found in MSA patients while for DAT patients the MHPG levels were directly correlated to the severity of cognitive impairment, and inversely to the duration of illness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology III, Neurological Institute C. Mondino, University of Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martignoni
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Blandini
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Petraglia
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pacchetti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bono
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nappi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008734:Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009478:Neuropeptide Y / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012791:Shy-Drager Syndrome / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D013118:Spinal Cord Diseases / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid
chemical_list: D009478:Neuropeptide Y; D008734:Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol; D009638:Norepinephrine