Cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of soluble amyloid beta-protein and apolipoprotein E in patients with Alzheimer's disease: correlations with amyloid load in the brain.
OBJECTIVE
To compare soluble amyloid beta-protein and apolipoprotein E levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and brain extracts from patients with definite Alzheimer's disease.


METHODS
University medical center.


METHODS
Nineteen patients with definite Alzheimer's disease.


METHODS
Soluble amyloid beta-protein and apolipoprotein E levels in CSF, in neutral and low-pH brain extracts, and in formic acid-treated sections of the frontal, temporal, and cerebellar cortices, measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.


RESULTS
Soluble amyloid beta-protein and apolipoprotein E levels in CSF were significantly lower in patients with congophilic angiopathy than in those without angiopathy. The levels did not correlate with the number of amyloid plaques in the neocortex. There was, however, a tendency toward an inverse correlation between the amount of amyloid beta-protein in the frontal cortex extracts and the soluble amyloid beta-protein level in CSF.


CONCLUSIONS
Soluble amyloid beta-protein levels in CSF may reflect amyloid accumulation in brain blood vessels.
Pirttilä
T
T
Department of Immunology, Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, NY, USA.
Mehta
P D
PD
Soininen
H
H
Kim
K S
KS
Heinonen
O
O
Paljärvi
L
L
Kosunen
O
O
Riekkinen
P
P
Wisniewski
H M
HM
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000378:metabolism; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000378:metabolism; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000235:genetics; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D016657:Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy / Q000378:metabolism; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012995:Solubility
D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D001057:Apolipoproteins E