title: Down's syndrome individuals begin life with normal levels of brain cholinergic markers.
abstract: We measured the activities of the cholinergic marker enzymes choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in autopsied brains of seven infants (age range 3 months to 1 year) with Down's syndrome (DS), a disorder in which virtually all individuals will develop by middle age the neuropathological changes of Alzheimer's disease accompanied by a marked brain cholinergic reduction. When compared with age-matched controls cholinergic enzyme activity was normal in all brain regions of the individuals with infant DS with the exception of above-normal activity in the putamen (ChAT) and the occipital cortex (AChE). Our neurochemical observations suggest that DS individuals begin life with a normal complement of brain cholinergic neurons. This opens the possibility of early therapeutic intervention to prevent the development of brain cholinergic changes in patients with DS.
authors.affiliation: Human Brain Laboratory, Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kish
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Karlinsky
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rebbetoy
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: DiStefano
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hornykiewicz
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism*; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology*; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism*; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000201:enzymology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D012016:Reference Values; D013398:Sudden Infant Death / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase