Calcitonin gene-related peptide and calcitonin in the CSF of patients with dementia and depression: possible disease markers.
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was obtained from 32 patients with dementia, 19 healthy controls that were age-matched with the dementia patients, and 29 DSM-IV major depression patients and calcitonin gene-related peptide-like immunoreactivity (CGRP-LI) and calcitonin-like immunoreactivity (CT-LI) measured by RIA. CGRP-LI was lower in the dementia group compared to both the controls and depressed patients (P<.01) after covarying out sex and age. CT-LI was decreased in the dementia and depressed patients (P<.05) compared to the controls. A positive relationship between CGRP-LI and CT-LI was found in dementia. A logistic discriminant analysis with calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and log calcitonin (CT) predicting diagnosis (three classes) revealed a significant overall fit (chi2 = 18.08, P = .0011), with an effect test showing contributions of both independent variables: CGRP (chi2 = 10.03, P<.007), log CT (chi2 = 8.63, P = .013). In dementia, both CGRP-LI and CT-LI were decreased and their concentration ratio did not differ from that in controls, likely reflecting a general neuronal loss. Alternatively and more speculatively, but theoretically possible, expression of the alpha-CGRP/CT gene may be affected in dementia. In contrast, in depression, CT-LI but not CGRP-LI was decreased and the CGRP/CT concentration ratio was increased, which is consistent with a possibility of an altered splicing process favoring CGRP mRNA.
Mathé
Aleksander A
AA
Institution of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, St Göran's Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Agren
Hans
H
Wallin
Anders
A
Blennow
Kaj
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003704:Dementia / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values
D015415:Biomarkers; D002116:Calcitonin; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide