Functional study of T lymphocyte responsiveness in patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type.
The autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction (AMLR) was used to study T lymphocytes in a group of patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT) in order to confirm the observation that their T cell proliferation in AMLR was greater than in age-matched controls, and to investigate other pathways of T cell activation, searching for correlations between immunologic and clinical findings in DAT. The mean proliferative response in AMLR was increased in patients with DAT. No differences between patients and age-matched controls were detected when other pathways of T cell activation were investigated. The degree of response in the AMLR varied among patients with DAT. This fits with the suggestion that the disorder may be a heterogeneous syndrome.
Leonardi
A
A
Clinica Neurologica, Università di Genova, Italy.
Arata
L
L
Bino
G
G
Caria
M
M
Farinelli
M
M
Parodi
C
C
Scudeletti
M
M
Canonica
G W
GW
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D007959:Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*