[Immune events in central nervous system of early and late onset Alzheimer's disease patients].
BACKGROUND
Alzheimer s disease (AD) is a progressive degenerative disease affecting a significant proportion of the elderly population. The disease is characterized clinically by a progressive loss of memory function and mental impairment associated with the presence of degenerative well known pathological lesions. Although, the pathogenesis of AD is unclear; several reports indicate the involvement of immune factors.


METHODS
This paper evaluates some cerebrospinal fluid immune markers from 21 patients with early and late AD and 20 age matched non-demented subjects. The analytical method included the evaluation of T cell subpopulations (using AcMc CD2, CD4, CD8) and activated T cells (AcMc HLA-DR and CD25) from CSF and peripheral blood by immunocytochemical techniques on a fixed cell slide as described by Bernd. The lymphocyte phenotype expressed as a percentage of positively stained cells for each cell surface marker evaluated.


RESULTS
Some significant differences were observed for T cell subpopulations from different compartments, between the different AD groups and the controls (p< 0.05). Nevertheless, the most significant differences were found in the activated T cells from cerebrospinal fluid between AD groups and controls (p< 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
These results support the theory of neuroimmune dysregulation, probably involved in the progressive neurodegeneration and dementia in some AD.
Robinson Agramonte
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Departamento de Neuroinmunología; Centro Internacional de Restauración Neurológica (CIREN), La Habana, 11300, Cuba. robin@neubas.sld.cu
Dorta-Contreras
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Lorigados Pedre
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D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000418:Albumins / Q000276:immunology; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000097:blood / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*
D000418:Albumins; D015703:Antigens, CD; D015704:CD4 Antigens; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D007376:Interleukin-2; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2