title: Cytochrome oxidase in Alzheimer's disease: biochemical, histochemical, and immunohistochemical analyses of the visual and other systems.
abstract: Defects in oxidative metabolism have been implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The present study evaluated the level of cytochrome oxidase (C.O.), an indicator of neuronal oxidative capacity, in various brain regions of post-mortem AD and control patients. We found a statistically significant reduction in C.O. levels in all cortical areas examined, including the primary and secondary visual cortices. In addition, all layers of the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus and sublaminae of the primary visual cortex in AD cases examined suffered a reduction in their relative C.O. activity and protein amount. Our results suggest a generalized suppression of oxidative metabolism throughout the cortex, as well as in a major subcortical visual center in AD. Such hypometabolism may form the basis for not only deficits in higher cortical functions, but also a variety of visual dysfunctions known to occur in AD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee 53226, USA. mwr@post.its.mcw.edu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wong-Riley
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Antuono
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Egan
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hevner
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liebl
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rachel
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D003720:Densitometry; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D005829:Geniculate Bodies / Q000201:enzymology; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D058225:Plaque, Amyloid / Q000473:pathology; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV