title: Chemokines and pro-inflammatory cytokines in Down's syndrome: an early marker for Alzheimer-type dementia?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  People with Down's syndrome (DS) show early Alzheimer-like dementia. It has been suggested that the pro-inflammatory cytokine class plays a role in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The study aims at verifying whether pro-inflammatory cytokines in DS are correlated with age, affective symptoms and intellectual decline to a different degree than in subjects with non-DS learning disabilities.
  
  
  METHODS
  
  
  
  METHODS
  19 subjects with DS; controls: sex- and age-matched individuals with learning disabilities caused by perinatal ischaemic damage. The level of mental retardation was assessed according to DSM-IV; psychopathological symptoms were measured by the Assessment and Information Rating Profile. Serum levels of cytokines were determined with ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DS patients showed higher levels of cytokines and chemokines, with the exception of RANTES; but the only significant difference detected was for MIP-1alpha. A correlation between the degree of mental retardation and IL-6, and between MIP-lalpha and age was found in patients with DS, but not in controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data obtained suggest a possible involvement of chemokines in the inflammatory and degenerative processes similar to AD in DS. Further longitudinal research is required to confirm these findings.
authors.affiliation: Division of Psychiatry, Department of Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy. mgcarta@tiscali.it
authors.forename: Mauro G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Carta
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Serra
authors.forename: Assunta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghiani
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Manca
authors.forename: Maria Carolina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Hardoy
authors.forename: Gennaro S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Del Giacco
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Diaz
authors.forename: Bernardo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Carpiniello
authors.forename: Paolo E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Manconi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism*; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers; D018925:Chemokines / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; D015415:Biomarkers; D018925:Chemokines; D016207:Cytokines