Cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and corticotropin (ACTH) are reduced in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
We examined corticotropin-releasing hormone-like immunoreactivity (CRH-LI) and corticotropin (ACTH) levels in the CSF of 33 patients with presumptive Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 13 healthy, age-matched controls. The mean CRH-LI and ACTH levels of the AD patients were significantly less than controls. Despite these reductions, none of the patients had evidence of pituitary-adrenal dysfunction. A disorder of extrahypothalamic CRH may be involved in the pathophysiology of AD.
D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D006854:Hydrocortisone