title: Brain acetylcholinesterase activity in Alzheimer disease measured by positron emission tomography.
abstract: Brain acetylcholinesterase activity was measured in 14 patients with Alzheimer disease and 14 age-matched control subjects by positron emission tomography with a radioactive acetylcholine analogue. Kinetic analysis was performed to calculate k3, an index of acetylcholinesterase activity. The k3 values were significantly reduced in the neocortex, hippocampus, and amygdala of all patients with Alzheimer disease, suggesting a loss of cholinergic innervation from the basal forebrain. Most profound reductions of k3 values were observed in the temporal (-30%) and parietal cortices (-31%), although reductions of k3 values were relatively uniform in the cerebral neocortex. This technique may be a powerful tool for early diagnosis of Alzheimer disease and also for therapeutic monitoring of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in Alzheimer disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Advanced Technology for Medical Imaging, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba-shi, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shinotoh
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Namba
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fukushi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagatsuka
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aotsuka
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanada
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Irie
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology; D000679:Amygdala / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000201:enzymology; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000201:enzymology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000201:enzymology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
chemical_list: D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase