title: Autoantibodies in neurodegenerative diseases: antigen-specific frequencies and intrathecal analysis.
abstract: The frequency of autoantibodies (AAbs) was surveyed in several neurodegenerative diseases, other neurological diseases, and controls using antigen-specific EIAs for neurofilament heavy subunit, tubulin, glial fibrillary acidic protein, S100 protein, tau, beta-amyloid peptide, myelin basic protein, and heparan sulfate proteoglycan. High frequencies of sera and cerebrospinal fluid tubulin AAbs were found in Alzheimer disease (62% and 69%, respectively), Parkinson disease (27% and 70%), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (54% and 67%), and in sera from multiple sclerosis (50% and 67%), optic neuritis (85%), Guillain-Barré syndrome (88%), and vascular dementia (52%). High frequencies of neurofilament heavy subunit AAbs were detected in Guillain-Barré syndrome, chronic peripheral neuropathy (88%) and optic neuritis (62%); whereas, some Alzheimer's disease (33%) and vascular dementia (44%) patients had glial fibrillary acidic protein AAbs. Lower frequencies of other AAbs were found in patient groups. AAb results were also compared to functional assessment of blood-brain barrier integrity in Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. The relevance of these AAbs to pathogenesis and/or course of neurologic diseases merits further study with particular reference to subgrouping and prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Specialty Laboratories, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA. jterryberry@specialtylabs.com
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Terryberry
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Thor
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Peter
mesh_terms: D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000941:Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D001323:Autoantibodies; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins