Recent advances in the neurochemical pathology of Alzheimer's disease. Studies of neuropeptides, cholinergic function and Alzheimer's disease-associated protein.
Our findings from three postmortem tissue studies in Alzheimer's disease (AD) are presented. We investigated (1) alterations in somatostatin (SRIF) and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) in AD; (2) regulatory changes in presynaptic cholinergic function in AD; and (3) use of Alzheimer's disease-associated protein (ADAP) as a diagnostic test for AD in postmortem tissue. Taken together, these findings reveal marked reductions in SRIF and CRF concentrations in many cerebrocortical areas in AD, a marked up-regulation of cholinergic neuronal activity in surviving cholinergic neurons in AD, and excellent specificity and sensitivity for the use of the ADAP assay as a diagnostic test for AD in postmortem tissue.
Department of Psychiatry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710.
C B
CB
Nemeroff
G
G
Bissette
T A
TA
Slotkin
F J
FJ
Seidler
B E
BE
Miller
H
H
Ghanbari
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D002799:Cholinergic Fibers; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000378:metabolism*
D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D013004:Somatostatin; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone