title: The mean A beta load in the hippocampus correlates with duration and severity of dementia in subgroups of Alzheimer disease.
abstract: Using image analysis techniques to quantify the percentage area covered by the immunopositive marker for amyloid beta-peptide (A beta), we examined subjects with combinations of either early-onset or late-onset Alzheimer disease (AD) and either familial Alzheimer disease (FAD) or sporadic Alzheimer disease (SAD). We measured the mean and maximum A beta loads, in the hippocampus of each subject. There were no statistically significant differences in the mean A beta load between familial and sporadic AD subjects. Although sample sizes were too small for statistical testing, subjects with the epsilon 4/epsilon 4 allele of the apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene had higher mean A beta loads than those with the epsilon 3/epsilon 3 or epsilon 3/epsilon 4 alleles. Members of the Volga German families (recently linked to chromosome 1) all had high mean A beta loads, and one of the chromosome 14-linked subjects had the highest mean A beta load while the other had a relatively small load, but the sample was too small for statistical comparisons. The duration of dementia and neuropsychological test scores showed a statistically significant correlation with the mean A beta load in the hippocampus, but not with the maximum A beta load. This difference indicates that the mean A beta load may be a more useful feature than the maximum A beta load as an objective neuropathological measure for cognitive status. This finding may help to improve the established methods for quantitative assessment of the neuropathological changes in AD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle 98195-6480, USA.
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Bartoo
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nochlin
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Sumi
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology*; D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D005838:Genotype; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D001057:Apolipoproteins E