title: Increased melatonin 1a-receptor immunoreactivity in the hippocampus of Alzheimer's disease patients.
abstract: The pineal secretory product melatonin has, in addition to regulating retinal, circadian and vascular functions, neuroprotective effects. Blood melatonin levels are often decreased in Alzheimer's disease (AD), a progressively disabling neurodegenerative disorder. In this study we provide the first immunohistochemical evidence for the localization of melatonin 1a-receptor (MT(1)) in aged human hippocampus and a comparison of AD cases. MT(1) was localized to pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal cornu ammonis (CA)1-4 subfields. There was a distinct increase in staining intensity in all AD cases indicating an up-regulation of the receptor, possibly as a compensatory response to impaired melatonin levels in order to augment melatonin's neuroprotective effects.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric University Clinic, Basel, Switzerland. esavaskan@datacomm.ch
authors.forename: Egemen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Savaskan
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Olivieri
authors.forename: Fides
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Meier
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brydon
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jockers
authors.forename: Rivka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ravid
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wirz-Justice
authors.forename: Franz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Müller-Spahn
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000378:metabolism; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000378:metabolism*; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / Q000378:metabolism*; D044094:Receptors, Melatonin
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; D044094:Receptors, Melatonin; D008550:Melatonin