T-lymphocyte interleukin 6 receptor binding in patients with dementia of Alzheimer type.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate some aspects of T-cell-dependent immune function in patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT).


METHODS
Assay of interleukin 6 binding on T lymphocytes from patients with DAT, compared with that in healthy controls.


METHODS
The study included ambulatory patients in a tertiary care center who were diagnosed as having DAT according to the criteria of the National Institute of Neurologic and Communicative Disorders and Stroke.


METHODS
Thirty-five patients with DAT without depression (15 women and 20 men; mean +/- SD age, 68.6 +/- 15.8 years) were selected consecutively. They had not taken any medication for at least 3 weeks and did not smoke. Illness severity was evaluated according to the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale. Thirty-five age- and sex-matched healthy nonsmoking subjects with no family history of neuropsychiatric disorders formed the control group.


RESULTS
A significant (P < .001) increase in T-lymphocyte interleukin 6 binding was found in patients with DAT compared with healthy controls (mean +/- SE receptors per cell, 305 +/- 7 vs 276 +/- 6, respectively), whereas the ligand-receptor affinity values were similar in the 2 groups (mean +/- SE, 25.9 +/- 0.9 and 25.3 +/- 0.6 nmol/L).


CONCLUSIONS
These data indicate a derangement of the immune response in patients with DAT since cell-surface interleukin 6 receptors seem to be related to T-lymphocyte immune function.
Department of Neurosciences, University of Pisa, Italy. bongioanni@sssup1.sssup.it
P
P
Bongioanni
B
B
Boccardi
M
M
Borgna
B
B
Rossi
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000276:immunology; D019947:Receptors, Interleukin-6 / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D008024:Ligands; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D019947:Receptors, Interleukin-6