title: Amino acid concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid and plasma in Alzheimer's disease and healthy control subjects.
abstract: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma levels of 18 amino acids were studied in 22 subjects with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) and in 11 healthy volunteers with no clinical or family history of dementia. Significant decreases of plasma taurine and glutamate were seen in the DAT cases compared with the controls. The CSF concentrations of glycine, leucine and valine were also significantly reduced in the DAT cases. Furthermore, in the DAT cases significant decreases were observed in the ratio between CSF and plasma (CSF/P) levels for alanine, glutamine, glycine, phenylalanine and valine, when compared with controls. In the DAT group there were significant correlations between behaviour and CSF glutamine; memory and cognitive functions and CSF valine; copying ability and CSF glutamate. CSF/P ratios of glutamine and glutamate correlated with behaviour and copying performances, respectively. The results of this study provide further evidence for a disruption of amino acid metabolism in DAT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Karolinska Institute, S:t Göran's Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Basun
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Forssell
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Almkvist
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Cowburn
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eklöf
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Winblad
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wetterberg
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000378:metabolism*; D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids